From the Ashes of Despair
by AkashaReflections
Summary: Two years after her assumed death and the destruction of her benevolent kingdom, rumors are spreading about Makai that the princess of the Toki people is very much alive... But why would she resurface now? Koenma wants answers...and he knows just the team
1. Prolouge

**Koenmas office 2 years prior  
**  
"Koenma sir, there is someone here to see you!" The large blue demon named George said as he escorted in a strange-cloaked figure in, pulling him out a chair. "There you are my good sir, just one moment." He said cheerily as he took his place beside his master. The toddler form of the prince feverishly stamping away at his large desk.

"Thank you Ogre, you may leave" Koenma stated, not even looking up from his paperwork, his red ink stamp on each and every left hand corner of the pages that continued to pile up in the out box.

"B-but sir!!!" George said obviously offended that his master was putting him out. The blue ogre's face became very downcast at the thought of his master not trusting him with the business. He opened his mouth to protest once more, but thought better of it as he saw his master's face turn slightly red.

"Do as I say ogre, now." Koenma said with a strange sort of calmness in his voice that scared the blue ogre as he ran straight out the doors, making sure they were closed firmly behind him. "I was wondering when you would come." Koenma said taking his teenage form and looking up at the hooded figure.

An awkward silence filled the room as he gazed toward the person sitting in front of him. He knew exactly who she was, without having to see her face, and the tension that had built up between them over the last year or so was enough to cause both of their hearts to race slightly.

"Its been such a long time your highness, I would remove my hood, however, you know that it is not safe for me to do so in the time we now live in." she spoke in a soft voice from beneath her hood. However, Koenma noticed that her hood could not conceal the amber eyes of his best friend.

"Yes well, what is it that you came to see me for?" He asked as he walked over to a tea set and began to pour a cup. When he made his way over to her, he noticed her wringing her hands in her lap, as if she was very nervous about the next few words she planned to say.

"I need your help, sir." She said even more quietly than before as she took the cup and saucer from him and sat it on the desk in front of her.

This request caught him a bit off guard. It was true, things had been a little tense since she had made her decision, but never in all their years as friends did her think she would be afraid to ask him for help. Koenma shook his head, clearing his mind of the thoughts, "Please, there is no need for the formalities, you are royalty, as am I."

"I don't think it wise to speak of that so loudly sir, you know there are people out to dethrone my family. You must be cautious when you speak of us, for even the walls have ears." With this Koenma sighed and took his tea back to his seat. She sipped hers silently, stopping to adjust her hood occasionally, to make sure that none of the camera's in Koenma's office could get a clear shot of her face.

"What is it that you need help with?" Koenma said taking a drink of his tea as well, leaning back into his large leather chair, enjoying the feel of the warm liquid making it's way down his throat.

"We have received information that an attack has been planned by the new queen of the Rekai on our kingdom, wishing to take away the throne from myself and my father. We are strong Koenma, however, we are not strong enough to handle the army that she has assembled in her short time as queen. It has always been said that because of my family's special circumstances that Spirit world would help us if we ever came into dire circumstances. That is why I am here. I must ask for the aid of your spirit detective team." She said quickly as she took another hearty drink from the small cup. She looked up into Koenma's face, as if searching it for his answer her eyes brimming with tears under her hood.

"I'm afraid I cant do that dear." Koenma sighed heavily as he placed his teacup back onto its saucer. She let out a heavy sigh as well and allowed a few of the tears to spill out of her eyes, thankful that he couldn't see her. "The detective was fired right after the Rekai Tournament. Since then the team has gone their separate ways."

"Can't you call them back? Even just one of them would be a great aid to us!" the hooded woman said slamming her hands down hard on Koenmas desk. She couldn't even begin to explain the absolute rage that threatened to spill over right then and there. This man, who she had so long called her friend, was now turning his back on her and her people. She clinched her fist tightly and waited for his explanation.

"I cannot, and Will NOT, re-commission them, I do not have the power, my father has taken that away from me." Koenma trailed off as he noticed the woman heading for the door, "Where are you going? Surely you could stay here! We could protect you!" He pleaded with her, hoping to save his friend the gruesome experience he was sure she was about to endure.

"I will not abandon my people, as you and spirit world have. You have just placed death upon my people, and I will be with them in their final hour." She said from the doorway not looking back at the prince. She held up her left hand, indicating the small green gym that was set in a silver band. "I do not turn my back on old friends."

"But, you will die if you go back there, you do know that don't you?" Koenma said rising from his seat to go after the young girl who stood motionless at the double doors leading out of his office.

"So be it then, maybe my blood on your hands will make your father change his decision about the detective and his team. I must ask you one favor my Lord." Her voice wavered slightly as she began to tighten the tie of her cloak, to prevent it from falling away from her body.

"What is that?" Koenma asked surprised as her asking for a favor, feeling a bead of sweat run down the side of his face and trace along his chin before hitting the floor.

"Pray for my people, the Toki, in their hour of need. Pray that death will be swift for them and that no one will suffer long. Pray that my father and I will have the strength to watch before we are helplessly dragged away toward our doom as well. Goodbye my old friend, we will never meet again." She said coolly and with that pushed open the great oak doors and disappeared. Koenma made his way slowly to his desk and sank down into his chair once again placing his hands over his face letting out a loud sigh.

"Koenma sir, what would you li...sir, what is the matter?" George asked noticing the puddle that had now formed underneath his masters covered face. He waited for the oncoming lecture of how he was not to enter when the doors were closed without knocking first, but it never came.

"Leave me be ogre, I just sent an innocent girl to an early grave..." He choked out as he flopped his head into his arms that were laid on his desk and sobbed.

**The Toki Kingdom**

"Father please don't leave, there must be some other way!" the girl from earlier cried as she ran into the arms of her father once more. Her long black hair fanning out behind her as she ran, her elaborate gold crown glinting in the moonlight.

"Don't cry now, **YOU** have to be the peoples strength now. This is a dismal day for our kingdom and you know that. But we cannot show it, no matter how much we want too. Please you must do this for them. Promise me, you wont cry." He looked deeply into her amber eyes with his own. Brushing a stray piece of her long hair from her face as he hugged his daughter tightly to his chest one last time.

"**KING INIKO! THE ENEMY HAS JUST CROSSED OVER INTO OUR LAND WE MUST LEAVE NOW!!!" **Shouted the general from the doorway of her bedroom as the king and his seventeen-year-old daughter parted. He smiled at her wiping away some of the tears she had shed, hoping it would help calm her.

"No more tears, be strong for the people, and no matter what happens I will always love you." And with that the king spun around on his heel and marched down the large marble staircase and out of the palace.

She looked out the large window of her bedroom in just enough time to see her father mount his white stallion and take off in the direction of the enemy fortress. She sighed heavily when she heard the first signs of battle, seeing the blood of many innocent people being spilled right outside the palace walls. Her maidservant stood anxiously at her side, watching the horror that unfolded below them.

**A few hours later**

The young princess watched in horror with her maidservant as their entire kingdom had gone up in flames. People we being slaughtered left and right by the onslaught of demons led by a tall woman with flaming orange hair. They had been watching this for several hours in silence, never leaving their safe perch above the slaughter.

"Kagami," the princess spoke softly to her maidservant, breaking the silence but never looking away from the destruction of her people.

"Y-yes my lady?" The lovely purple hair maiden turned to face her master, her purple eyes dancing with the flames that were consuming the kingdom below them.

"Leave me now." She said in a firm tone, closing her eyes for a moment and allowing one stray tear to make its way down her left cheek.

"Oh no my lady I couldn.." with that she was hoisted off the ground by the princess and thrust hard into the wall.

"Listen to me, Mukuro, the new queen of spirit world is about to enter into those doors, she will come straight here for me. You get out, flee this place. Don't ever look back, just run. Take the servants passage. Go Kagami please! You're all I can protect now." The princess said harshly, causing her servant to flinch slightly at the sound of her voice. She had never seen the princess talk so fiercely to anyone. She watched as the princess's shoulders began to shake violent below her, as she struggled to hold back her tears, "Please Kagami, you are all I have left."

"I will go my lady. You are in my prayers." And with that the young maid vanished through a small cutout in the wall just beside them.

Suddenly the large door to the princess's chamber burst open revealing a young man with black hair and red eyes. He grabbed the princess roughly and thrust her down on one knee, forcing her to bow as her executioner entered the room.

"My my, the daughter of King Iniko? I thought you would have been long gone." Mukuro said as she gently brushed against her face. She smirked seeing the absolute rage that filled every part of the princess, her mechanical eye examining the princess thoroughly.

"I am no coward." The young princess spat earning her a hard smack across the face from the demon queen, who merely smirked at the girl's smart remark.

"Leave her Hiei, let her wallow in her own self pity and hatred. I think she may just do our job for us." And with that the two exited the princess chambers.

The princess then flipped over onto her back and let out a huge sob, her face still aching from the smack that she was sure broke on of her cheekbones. She wiped a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth and made her way back over to the window, hoping to get a good look at all the damage. She shook her head again, as more tears fell.

It was then that a strange glinting caught her eye. She turned her head to see the two swords that her grandfather had used to protect their kingdom from Mukuro the first time she had tried to invade.

'How fitting' she thought to herself as she made her way over to them and ripped on of the from its holder. 'I hope my death will convince you and your father to stop Mukuro.' she thought to herself as she placed the tip of the sword to her stomach and forced it through.

**King Yamas Office**

"Father..." Koenma said solemnly as he stood in front of his huge father. He trembled slightly at the sight of the massive man but stood quietly, waiting for his response.

"What is it now?" The king spat, looking down at his son from his large desk that nearly

filled the entire room. He adjusted his glasses, waiting for his son's explanation as to his intrusion into the sanctity of his office.

"The entire Kingdom of Toki, has been completely annihilated. No survivors have been found.." Koenma finally managed to choke out, trying desperately to keep from tearing in front of his father.

"And the royal family?" King Yama's tone was that of shock as he leaned down, trying to get a better view of his son.

"The King went down defending his country on the front lines." Koenma stopped for a moment after this, preparing to deliver the worst words he had ever spoken, "The princess, for reasons unknown to us, was let to live but took her own life shortly after Mukuro left her palace." He choked, this time a few tears slid down his cheeks and he immediately cast his eyes to the floor.

"Koenma..." King Yama said softly taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes.

"Sir???" Said Koenma snapping to attention hoping his father had not seen his weakness.

"I think its time you gave that spirit detective a call."


	2. Chapter 1

**Koenma's Office Present Day**

"Geez binky breath, what do you want now?" Yusuke sighed loudly while using his index finger to clean the wax from his ears.

"I have called you all here for an important mission." The auburn haired prince stated, sending a glare across his desk at the detective.

"Yeah, we kind of figured that..." Yusuke said obviously annoyed at being woken up at five in the morning. His pushed a hand through his messy black hair, wishing that he would have had time to put gel in it and muttering curses his boss across the table.

"First, I would like you all to welcome back our wayward team member..." Koenma trailed off as the large oak doors flew open revealing the small fire demon named Hiei. His crimson eyes in near slants as he focused on Koenma.

Kuwabara looked baffled for a moment a the sudden appearance of his teammate. "Hiei??? What the hell??" Kuwabara shouted at the fire demon shocked that he had returned. "I thought you were on Mukuro's side???"

"Hn. That bitch is out picking fights is she not detective? It proves she loves to be in the spotlight, a bit like you actually. It gets rather annoying. I don't want to fight targets who don't fight back." He stated with a small smirk. Yusuke cut his eyes over to the smallest of the team for a moment, and then ended the glaring contest with his trademark cheesy grin. Hiei simply shook his head and took his seat beside Kurama.

"WHAT??? The great Hiei turning down a fight?" Yusuke said as he ruffled his friends spiky black hair.. Yusuke had to admit, he had missed the little guy since the demon world tournament.

"Hn, I do not wish to fight people who cannot fight back. Takes all the fun out of killing them really." The fire demon shrugged towards the other detectives before turning his gaze to Koenma, as if he was waiting for Koenma to hand out their mission.

"Ok Koenma, explain, before we get to the mission, because it is obvious that Hiei isn't talking anymore." Yusuke said putting his feet up on Koenma's large desk.

"Yes well, Mukuro has become very violent as of late, as I am sure you are all aware. But she has not been attacking warrior-type villages. She has been attacking those with little to no man power and taking their land from them. Killing all women and children alike." The prince stated flatly as he scanned the room, looking each of his detectives in the eye.

"WHAT??? THAT'S NOT COOL!!! NO WONDER HIEI LEFT!!!" Kuwabara shouted causing Yusuke to fall out of his chair. The spirit detective angrily pushed his partner and best friend into the floor, angrily punching him several times in the face for being so loud.

"Sit down you buffoons , I must say that if either of you were in one of those villages, well you and that reaper, I would have made an exception." Hiei spat violently, causing the two boys wrestling in the floor to stop momentarily.

"Now boys, let's not fight. This is the first time we have all been together in over three years! I think we should be grateful that we are alive and in good health." Kurama said as he hauled the largest of their team off of Yusuke and forced him back into the rickety wooden chair at his side.

"If you four are done with this little "Love fest" I would like to get back to the reason I have called you all here." He slid a packet across the table, which Yusuke opened and held up for the rest of his teammates to see. The picture was of some sort of large green stone, which looked very much like a diamond, set into some sort of ring setting.

"Oh what's this for Koenma??? You finally going to pop the question to Botan?" Yusuke was suddenly on the opposite side of the desk, nudging his boss suggestively. The prince sweat dropped for a moment before forcing his detective off of him.

"The Diamante curativo de la diosa..." Kurama stated after getting a good look at the picture before handing it off to Hiei who took one look and passed it along.

"Very Good Kurama, do you know what it does?" Koenma asked, leaning back in his chair, preparing to hear Kurama's explanation.

"Well not really, I've only heard about it a few times. It's an ancient gift from King Yama to the King and Queen of Toki. Given over 1000 years ago. Though its true powers are still unknown, it is said that to have special healing powers that only the decendents of the King and Queen may use." Kurama stated in a matter-of-factly tone, causing the other three teammates to turn their gaze to him, their eyes as wide as saucers.

"Very good." Koenma nodded at the wonderful explanation.

"Yeah Kurama, for someone who has only heard of it once or twice you sure did sound like you were reading a book report about it." Kuwabara said causing the kitsune to blush a vibrant shade of red, obviously embarrassed that he had come across as a "know it all"

"Hn, if you idiots are done. What is the point Koenma? If I remember correctly the Toki were "taken care of" a couple years ago." Hiei crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at the young prince from bringing up a part of his past that he did not care to remember.

"Yes, of course you would remember that Hiei, you being the leader of that operation and all." Koenma spat shooting the fire demon a cold stare that made the room fall silent once more. The young prince had never quite gotten over hearing that one of his best friends had taken her life because everything she knew had been destroyed. What made matters worse was to find that Hiei, someone he had grown to trust over the years they had worked together, had led the attack.

"Hn." Hiei snorted, turning his gaze away from the now fuming ruler.

"Wait I'm confused. Why are we after this thing if none of us can use it? Don't you think that is a little silly Koenma?" Yusuke asked quickly, still closely examining the ring, much as a prospective buyer would in a jewelry store.

"I was getting to that. The Diamante curativo de la diosa was used one year ago to date. We have had more pressing issues to attend to so that I couldn't send you on this mission but now that things have gotten a little more peaceful, my father and I have decided to send you out to find it. Yusuke, the second picture if you please." Yusuke nodded and pulled out the second picture as well as a sheet full of stats.

Name: Princess Sahara Toki

Race: Human

Age: 17 (Today would be 19)

Born: November 4, 1987

Died: January 3, 2005

Height: 4' 11"

Hair Color and Style: Long and dark violet, usually mistaken for black. Gives off a lavender glow in certain types of light. The princess has been known for the many different ways she styles her hair, but most people have seen it completely down, or down with two small ponly tails on each side of her head.

Eye Color: Amber

Blood Type: AB+

Additional Info: Princess Sahara was the only heir to the throne under King Iniko and Queen Layla. She was born to them in the later years of their life and it was decided she would inherit the throne, even though she was female. She was raised to become a great warrior, just as her father had been in his younger years. However, after her mother's death when she was five, she was taking out of these lessons as they were deemed "To Dangerous" and placed in proper princess lessons. She trained at her father's side until the attack on the Toki kingdom on the night of January 3, 2005 and 8:45 P.M. It is believed that the grief the girl had to deal with became to much and she took her own life, after Mukuro left her palace.

"What? She was a HUMAN ruling over DEMONS???" Yusuke shouted making Hiei shift uncomfortably in his seat. This concept completely astounded him, he had never EVER in his entire career of being Spirit Detective had heard of such a thing. But it was there, in ink, before his very eyes. The detective blinked a couple of times before reading back over the paper, making sure that it wasn't a mistake.

"Yes. Sahara's family, was very powerful. Some of the most powerful humans that I have ever met. Her ancestor, King Donar, defeated the Toki's original King and in turn became their king. The Toki were happy under their new rulers reign so they did not turn him away or rebel because he was human. My father gave King Donar The Diamante curativo de la diosa as recognition of his place in the demon world society." Koenma informed the group who turned their eyes back to the picture of the beautiful girl before them.

"But what does this Princess have to do with it? I mean she is dead after all." Yusuke asked causing Koenma to stiffen just a bit.

"She has everything to do with it. It means that either the king has a bastard son or daughter..."

"Or that the Princess is still alive." Kurama stated flatly completing his boss's sentence and causing every eye in the room to land on him once more.

"Exactly. And since, one has to be taught in the ways of using this powerful ring, I vote for the former. Your mission is to go to the last place the ring was used, in the Toki territory. See if you can find out any information from the people who have since made their home there. Anything at all will be a great help." Koenma stated as he moved to the window, trying to hide the fact that tears were welling in his eyes once more. The thought that Sahara could somehow be alive was almost to much for him to bear. Sure, he was happy that it was possible, but angry that she had not revealed herself to him. He sighed heavily and looked up at the waning moon.

"That's it? An information scout???" Yusuke asked as he poked his lip out, much as a disappointed three year old would.

"I'm afraid so Yusuke. Think of it this way though, you are going back into demon world. I'm sure you'll find something to entertain you." Koenma said coolly making Yusuke smile. "The portal will be read by eleven o'clock this afternoon. **DO ****NOT**** BE LATE**!" The prince shouted.

The four men sat in silence for a moment, glancing back and forth to one another. When they assumed he had no more to say, they left the room, shutting the door quietly as the went. Once he was sure they were gone, Koenma laid his head against the pane of the window and allowed on stray tear to fall. He could only hope and pray that the detective team he had built and watched grow over all these years could turn up something on his long lost friend.


	3. Chapter 2

**In an Unknown Prison Cell in the Toki Territory**

"Gosh Kuwabara you just had to do it didn't you?" Yusuke spat at his friend obviously annoyed with his tall friend as he struggled viciously against the binds that kept him fixed to the wall.

"What are you talking about Urameshi?" Kuwabara's small, brown eyes became even more narrow as he settled a hard glare on the boy who was thrashing about beside him.

"You and your dumbass just walks up to the first person you see in this territory and go 'Hey um, we are looking for the long lost Princess Sahara, do you know where we could find her?' And once again we are stuck in a jail cell because of you." Yusuke shot back, feebly giving one more attempt to summon his energy to burst through the chains.

"It's not my fault, If you guys could have used your almighty demon powers to blow away those gasses they used to drug us we wouldn't be in this mess." Kuwabara, justifying himself, nodded toward his three partners.

"Kuwabara, I don't think it wise to make jokes about demons in demon world. You never know who may be listening." Kurama advised from the corner in which he and Hiei were hanging side by side. Hiei's eyes cut to the small slit in the door, watching the shadows of guards dancing along the cinderblock floor.

"So why can't we get these things off anyway? I've tried everything I know!" Yusuke shouted at Kurama frustrated at his failed attempts to remove the cuffs. His arms now hanging limply, the blood gushing from the gashes created by his attempts to escape.

"Hn. They have restrictors in them you idiot. The more you struggle the tighter they become." Hiei spat, irritated that the strongest of the four had not even made a dent in the special shackles they had been placed in.

"Oh something you learned from Mukuro I'm guessing." Yusuke sending a glare across the room toward the fire demon who reciprocated the glare.

"Hn."

"IS THAT ALL YOU CAN SAY??? HN??? YOU KILLED COUNTLESS DEMONS AND THAT HUMAN FAMILY AS WELL AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU WANT TO BE A SPIRIT DETECTIVE AGAIN??? SOUNDS A BIT CONVIENIENT FOR ME." Yusuke screamed at the top of his lungs causing a bit of dust to be shaken from the walls of the establishment as the mazoku side of the detective tried to take over.

Before the fire demon or any of the other team members could react to his sudden outburst, they all became silent when hearing a light shuffling from somewhere within the room. The four men instantly went on guard searching for the person or the source of the noise, which began to sound more and more like rocks rubbing against each other by the minute.

"Over there!" Kurama whispered as he tried his best to gesture toward the center of the room. The four boys watched as one of the large cinderblocks began to move violently on the floor nearest to Kuwabara's feet. The stone shuddered violently in it's place a few moments longer before slowly sliding out of it's holding and to the side, revealing a young girl. 

"Who the hell are you and where did you come from?" Yusuke asked rather rudely to the new girl who had stuck her head into their holding cell.

She turned her head to take in the view of the four men she had come to save. Her delicate face covered in specks of mortar as well as dust. Her outfit torn in several places, but her long orange hair covering them exceptionally well. She grinned at the four restrained detectives, showing off her exceptionally beautiful smile as she pulled herself the rest of the way into the room.

"Oh lookie here new pets for the Queen of Demon world I'm guessing." She chuckled as she moved over to Yusuke, her bright blue eyes danced over his bindings.

"Pets?" Yusuke asked as he tried his best to pull away from this girl, obviously offended at being called so by this girl, "Just what do you mean pets?" He shouted towards her again as she had made her way over to Kurama.

"You know, for her fun and games that she likes to do before she kills all her prisoners of war. Quite gruesome really." This time her smile grew into a hard smirk, as she ran her fingers over the shackles, examining them closely for any type of weakness.

"Thanks for the mental image, but you never answered Urameshi's question. Who the hell are you?" Kuwabara shouted slightly irritated at the girl finding humor at their expense as they hung helplessly against the wall.

"Urameshi? The Yusuke Urameshi? Well then that would make you four the Spirit Detectives would it not?" She said quickly, acting shocked like she had not recognized them when she entered the room.

"Nice going idiot." Hiei commented from the corner, apparently completely floored by the complete ignorance of his teammate.

"Shut up shorty!" Kuwabara shoted towards him, trying his best to free himself from the chains and take a swing at the fire demon.

"My, you do make an awful lot of noise don't you Kazuma Kuwabara?" The young girl said with a grin, as she mocked Kuwabara by placing her hands over her ears and acting as if she was in a great deal of pain.

"How do you know my name?" Kuwabara's eyes went wide as he stared at the girl, hoping for some kind of answer.

"I know about all of you. But there is no time to explain that now. I must get you four out of here. I was waiting on some strong men to get put in here before I made my grand escape." She grinned at the looks of utter confusion that were plastered on three of the boys faces. She made her way back over towards Yusuke and Kuwabara, "Don't worry you guys, I'll have the shackles off in no time." She smiled as she removed Kuwabara's cuffs with a simply twist of a hair pin she had pulled from her long tresses.

"You still never told us your name." Kurama said rubbing his wrists as she went to work on Yusuke's cuffs.

"My name is Sahara." She stated flatly, her gaze never leaving the lock that she was trying to pick. She heard at least two of the detectives gasp at the sound of the name she had given them.

"The Sahara????" Kuwabara screamed out pointing at her, his large mouth completely agape as his eyes studied her closely.

"Shhh...no you dimwit. Does she even look like her? Yusuke punched his friend in the gut, hoping that would shut him for a moment as they watched her remove Kurama's and Hiei's cuffs with almost no difficulty at all.

"Hate to break to end your little discussion, you guys," She said quietly as she pulled the final shackle off of Hiei's wrist, "But I suggest we get out of here soon, the guards will be coming back around this way soon." She started calmly, motioning towards the hole that she had created in the floor. She watched as three of the detectives made it effortlessly through the hole in the floor. However, the forth wasn't so lucky.

"Holy shit! I'm stuck!" Kuwabara's raspy voice cried out in the cell, instantly making Sahara incredibly tense.

"SHHHHHH be quiet you fool, make any more noise and you will get us all killed!" Sahara whispered angrily to the detective as she began to circle the lodged detective, contemplating what she could do to free him

"What the hell are you doing?" Kuwabara cried out in a mixture of pain and confusion as the girl began to jump up and down on his shoulders, trying to force him through the hole. They finally broke through after only a few tries and began falling to the floor. Yusuke broke his partner's fall but before Sahara could hit him she was caught by the ever aware Kurama.

"Thank you, but I don't need you help." She stated as she pushed herself down. "Now, come, we must go quickly if we are to get out without being caught." She whispered to them as she led the four detectives down what seemed to be an endless maze of twists and turns, picking up speed throughout.

She was dashing through the maze when she suddenly came to a screeching halt, causing Kuwabara to crash into Kurama and Yusuke. She knelt down in front of a wall and held her hands in front of her, raising suspicion throughout the group that she was an imposter. Her hands began to glow a brilliant purple before she let out a sigh and a crack was revealed in the wall.

"Yusuke, do you see the crack?" she panted slightly, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.

"Yes." He stooped down beside her and examined it, running his scarred fingers over the small deformity in the wall.

"That is the only weakness I have found in the defenses of this system since I got her. These stones are extremely tough when whole, however, it greatly weakens there magical properties when they become damage." She explained to the detectives, pushing herself off the floor to face them. "That is why I hid this place with my own type of spell until I found someone strong enough to tear the rest of the way through it." Yusuke picked up on what she was hinting at and after firing his trademark spirit guy, tore the wall completely apart. After all of the debris had settled, the five of them walked out of the prison, just as the alarm began to sound.

"Koenma PORTAL NOW!!!" Yusuke shouted into his compact as the group was swallowed up into a swirling blue vortex.

**Later in Koenma's Office**

"Well, did you get any information?" Koenma asked impatiently, obviously annoyed that they had taken so long on such an easy mission.

"No, but we did manage to get arrested." Yusuke sighed scratching the back of his head and taking his seat, smirking as they watched Koenma's face becoming increasingly red.

"YOU WHAT???" The ruler asked his detectives, preparing to let into them about safety in the demon world.

"Excuse me sir. Before you start your rant, I thought I should make you aware that we have a guest in our presence." Kurama raised his hands to the prince and motioned towards Sahara, who was standing at his side.

"Oh yes, and what was your name?" The prince's eyes softened a bit as he gazed upon her confused expression.

"Sahara." She said quietly with a polite bow. The sound of the name automatically made the prince tense for a moment, as he fought back the urge to relive the many memories he had made with another girl by that name.

"Yes well, thank you for helping my detectives. Now if you will step out into the hall and I will have one of my assistants help get you home." He said immediately standing and moving to help escort her out.

"Sir, I have no where to go." Her once cheerful demeanor replaced by and icy cool tone and hard glare that was solely focused on the hand he was now offering her. "My home was destroyed two years ago. I have been a wanderer since then until I was captured." She pushed his hand away from her.

"We can't just set her out by herself, she'll be killed." Kuwabara protested, standing to put a little distance in between the Prince and the now livid Sahara.

"Come on Koenma can't she stay? I mean we could always teach this little demon to fight and have a fifth member like you wanted." Yusuke seemed to be pleading with the prince as he patted Sahara firmly on the shoulders, hoping to sooth her.

"Very well then." Koenma said as he used two of his fingers to massage his temples "Botan." He said quietly into the intercom on his desk

"Yes sir!" The cheery blue haired reaper appeared at his side no more than a second later, as if she had been waiting for the opportunity to do something.

"Show Miss Sahara to the spare bedroom and get her some clothes to wear." Koenma said quietly as he sat, watching Botan bounce over to their guest.

"Yes sir!" she did a mini salute and wrapped her arm around Sahara's shoulder and escorted her from the room.

With Sahara

The blue haired reaper was bounding down the hallway, laughing and chatting away with the young girl who was now walking closely at her side. Little did she know, that this demon was so lost in the world that she knew as her thoughts she had missed everything the reaper had said to her.

_'I can't let my personal feelings get in the way," _She reminded herself mentally, caught off guard for a moment when she felt Botan pick up a piece of her long orange hair and run it through her fingers, examining it closely and gushing about how pretty and soft it was. _'If I fail at this mission I will lose the only thing I have left in this world."_ She felt tears well up in her eyes as the face of a very important person flashed in her minds eye. However, before she established a clear picture she was brought back to reality by Botan's cheery voice.

"Here we are dear, the spare bedroom." She said cheerfully as she opened the bedroom door, revealing a stark white room with all wooden furniture. "Sorry dear, I know it's not very homey now, but we can fix that. Tomorrow, the girls and I will take you shopping so that we can decorate this room more for your tastes." She said giddily as she ushered her new found friend in the room. "I will have the Ogre's bring you some of my clothes later, you can stay in here and relax since you've had such a busy day. I'll call you when supper is ready." She smiled one last time before making her way out of the room and shutting the door firmly, leaving Sahara standing in the middle of the room.

Suddenly, the tears that she had been fighting back for so long broke through her emotional barrier and spilled out onto her pale cheeks. She threw herself onto her bed, still haunted by the memory of the person she had let down the most. The tears came more frequently now as the visions of that horrible night flooded back into her memory, along with the pain of losing every single person she had ever known. She silently cursed the young prince who sat in his office not more than fifty yards away from where she now lay, in the bed that he had provided for her. Soon her hatred and the overwhelming guilt she had felt over the last few days eventually caught up with her, and she grew weary of the waking world.

"Damn you Koenma…." She whispered to herself, her eyes silently closing as she drifted off into a quiet slumber.


	4. Chapter 3

"ATTENTION URAMESHI TEAM ATTENTION!!! REPORT TO PRINCE KOENMA'S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY!!! ONCE AGAIN URAMESHI TEAM TO KOENMA'S OFFICE!!!!" Botan screamed out over the loudspeaker causing Yusuke to tumble out of bed, hitting his head hard against his nightstand.

He stumbled out his bed room door seeing Kuwabara running while simultaneously trying to pull up his pants. He pulled the large teammate his feet, while watching Kurama try to pry Hiei away from the loudspeaker he was in the process of destroying.

"Damn toddler, waking us up at five in the morning again." Yusuke cursed, pulling Hiei's katana from the ceiling and tossing it to the smallest member of the team.

"Hey, do you think we should wake Sahara?" Kuwabara asked as the four boys made they're way down the long stretch of hallway that lead to Koenma's office.

"We don't really have time for that you two." Kurama said quietly as they rounded the final corner, the large wooden doors coming into sight, "Besides, I doubt that Koenma would send her so soon anyway." He spoke again, as he pushed the doors wide open, causing them to slam into the wall and sending the Prince flying from his chair and into the floor.

"Well it's about time you got here, we have a situation!!!" The now irate Koenma shouted as he pulled himself back up into his chair.

"No shit Sherlock, what is it?" The obviously ill Yusuke snapped at his boss as he plopped down in his normal chair in front of the desk.

"KEIKO AND YUKINA HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED!!!" Koenma shouted at the four men sitting in front of them, startling Kuwabara, making him cling to Kurama for dear life.

"What do you mean they've been kidnapped?" Kuwabara's raspy voice cried out while Kurama tried to pull him away and put him back into his rightful chair.

"We don't know how anyone could have gotten in. There doesn't appear to be anyone on the outside cameras. At least we didn't get a shot of anyone." Koenma said as he began to review the notes that all of the security ogres had gathered with the use of their new camera system.

"So what are you saying Koenma?" Kurama asked softly, his mind racing over the many people who would kidnap those two girls, just to get back at their team.

"It was an inside job." Hiei stated flatly from his corner of the room as he gazed out the window at the night sky, desperately searching for any sign of Yukina's energy in the dark, night sky.

"Precisely Hiei. Luckily for the four of you, we have a lock on Yukina's energy signal." Koenma started as he handed Kurama a wrinkled piece of paper, the coordinates scribbled on it, "It's weak but we can transport you to the place where they are holding them."

"Who is?" Yusuke asked as he tried to read the strangely written coordinates.

"Mukuro's new head of security, the demon Nero." Koenma said as her pushed a picture across his desk to the detectives.

"Hn, she's really desperate, letting that horny wind demon be her head of security." Hiei scoffed, only taking a short look at the picture before stomping back to his corner of the room.

"Do you have some information that may help us Hiei?" Koenma's eyes followed the detective, watching him intently and hoping that he would not keep the information from them to protect Mukuro. He would hate to have to throw Hiei back into the demon world prison again.

"Hn, he was a captain in her royal guard last time I saw him. He's full-blooded wind demon and has no problem showing it either, but he shouldn't be a problem for someone like me to handle. The idiots, however, may have a problem." Hiei said smirking at his last comment, knowing just which detective he had set off.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY RUNT? I'LL COME OVER THERE AN PUNCH YOUR FACE IN!" Kuwabara leapt from his chair, making his way toward the fire demon, his fist poised and ready to strike the demon for making such a comment.

"Hn, I'd like to see you try." Hiei smirked, seeing the overgrown oaf coming towards him, his bulky body slowing him down so badly that even Hiei felt a twinge of regret for wasting his time on this detective.

"KUWABARA!" Yusuke shouted wrapping his arms under his friends arm, clasping his hands in front in an attempt to restrain the livid human from hurting himself. "We should be more focused on finding the girls, you can beat the shit out of Hiei later!" Yusuke shouted, hoping to calm his friend by reminding him of the situation Yukina was in. The largest detective immediately stopped thrashing against his partner, his eyes cast at the floor, images of Yukina being tortured flooding his mind.

"Hn, like that pathetic oaf could do anything to me." Hiei settled his glare on the detective, hoping to draw a little more entertainment from the oaf, but was disappointed when the detective didn't even look up.

"You know Hiei," Kurama stated coolly from his chair, hoping to settle the fight but the two boys ended up hurting one another. "Yukina still hasn't found her brother. It would really be a shame if something were to happen to her before she ever got the chance to meet him."

"Hn." was all Hiei replied returning to leaning on the wall in his corner of the room. He hated it when the fox would use that information against him, and silently cursed himself for ever telling his friend that.

"Speaking of the girls, I would like you to take Sahara with you." Koenma said, causing all eyes to fall on him once more.

"What? Why?" Yusuke asked, finally letting go of his partner and making his way back to his seat.

"She has already proven herself to be able to spot a weakness in any type of shield. And she is the only person I've ever seen able to pick through those energy cuffs that you four were held with. She may be invaluable on this mission." Koenma said, sending a small call out on his intercom, "Botan, bring Sahara here,"

"Yes sir," The bubbly reaper called from the small speaker, causing it to rattle slightly.

"Great someone else for me to baby-sit." Hiei snorted from the corner, hating the fact that this girl that they knew nothing about was now going to be going on this trip with them.

"I do not need anyone to baby-sit me. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself Hiei, or do you not remember who got you out of that cell?" Sahara stated flatly as she walked into Koenma's office, Botan following on her heels. She flashed a smile towards Hiei, seeing the look of utter shock on his face before turning back to Koenma.

"So Botan filled me in. Any clues as to who may have pulled this little stunt." She asked the prince while rubbing her slightly swollen eyes.

"No, but I do think it best if you five would get going. The sooner you can get those two back here the better." Koenma stated as the portal appeared on the right side of his desk. "You will be transported to Nero's fortress. Your mission is to get in, get the girls and get out. Avoid confrontation if at all possible I don't want to risk the girls safety." After a quick nod from the team, they dove into the swirling vortex.

**Nero's Fortress**

"This is definitely your typical bad guy hideout. All cement walls, no windows, low light, and boy does it smell." Kuwabara said lifting his hand to his nose. It was true, the place they now stood in was very dank, not to mention narrow as the five of them struggled to keep from walking on one another's heels.

"Are you sure that's not just you detective?" Hiei asked with a smirk, knowing that once again he had found the trigger to set off Kuwabara.

"What did you sa--" But he was cut off by Sahara jumping on his shoulders and covering his mouth. Her legs dangled over his shoulders as her eyes darted quickly around the room, watching for any signs of guards.

"Shhh, you idiot. Didn't you hear what Koenma said, get in and get out. Are you trying to get us all killed?" She whispered angrily in his ear. He shook his head "no" furiously and she let him go and took her place at Kurama's side. The detective let out a sigh, feeling the weight lifted off of him, but shot a glare at Hiei, as if telling him that the two of them would "take care of it later".

"Which way do we go?" Kurama asked as they came to an intersection in the palace. The group gazed down the three different halls, hoping to find some clue as to the whereabouts of their lost companions.

"Leave that one to me. I can find my love anywhere in this palace." Kuwabara said stepping in front of the group, placing his index finger to his head, as if trying to concentrate without straining himself.

"Your love? Yukina? Personally I think she goes much better with Kurama and all I'm going on is the pictures I've seen around the house." Sahara said quietly, as she ran her hands along the wall, some of the moss and mold that had grown there coming off on her fingers.

"Shut up Sahara, you forget that we could just leave you here." Kuwabara fumed, obviously insulted that she would question his and Yukina's love.

"Yeah yeah. Wouldn't be the first time I've been left alone to fend for myself." Sahara shot quickly, her blue eyes narrowing into a hard glare.

"Ah!!! There she is!!! Yukina, my love, I'M COMING!!!" He shouted as he took off on the left path, leaving his teammates behind.

"Shall we?" Kurama sweat dropped before the rest of you took off after him. The five of you continued to run before you come to a door.

"Leave this one to me!" Sahara smiled as she pulled a pin that had held back her bangs and began to go to work on the lock. Her hands moved expertly over the lock, while she pushed her makeshift lock pick inside and twisted it a few times. The lock released and Kuwabara pushed Sahara out of the way, charging into the room and wrapping his arms around Yukina.

"Well now which way?" Yusuke asked Keiko, who was now clinging to his neck. Sahara watched as Hiei tried his best to free Yukina from the hug that Kuwabara was giving her, as to give Yusuke and Keiko any privacy they might need.

"We were blindfolded when we were brought in, so I don't know." Keiko said quietly turning her gaze to the floor, as if she was ashamed that she couldn't help Yusuke more.

"WAIT! I think I've been here before! Come with me I know a short cut!" Sahara's face lit up as she darted out the door and down the long dark hallway, in a total opposite direction from which they came.

"More running?" Yusuke said looking at Kurama. "Oh well, come on Keiko." He said as he gently placed Keiko on his back, Kuwabara bending down and doing the same for Yukina.. They ran after the young girl, who seemed to have such a fierce determination to get them out of there. Occasionally they would catch her stealing glances back at them, as if she was trying to make sure they were alright. It wasn't long before the group emerged into a dimly lit room that appeared to be some sort of grand hall for the wind demon's fortress.

"Now, all we have to do is go straight out those doors and we are home free!!!" She shouted as she darted for the large doors at the opposite side of the room.

"Well done, Sahara" said a strange voice from the top of the stairs. Suddenly the room filled with light, temporarily blinding the detectives and allowing them to be surrounded by Nero's many guards.

"Who is that?" Yusuke asked rubbing his eyes madly trying to regain his sight, Keiko still clinging tightly to his neck.

Nero made his way down from the top of the stairs, his golden eyes focused intently on the group before him. This set up was perfect; never had he expected to get both the Diamond and the detectives in just one day. His bat-like wings shuddered with excitement as his feet touched the cement floor, standing nearly face to face with the men who had struck fear into the hearts of many demons.

"I see you've come for your prizes. No matter though, I've got what I want. Isn't that right Sahara?" Nero said as he made his way down the right side stairs. Everyone, turned their still partially blind eyes to Sahara, who had now cast her gaze to the floor, not wanting to look the detectives she had set up in the face.

"Sahara you haven't told them? My how very unprofessional. Allow me to show them." And with that he shot a beam of light at Sahara's body. Slowly but surely, her body began to take on a whole new form. She sank to the floor and let out a cry of absolute anguish, the pain of the transformation back to her original state taking over her every pore.

"Arrest them." Nero said with vicious smirk. The guards were upon them in a matter of seconds, placing swords to Yukina and Keiko's necks, making sure that the team would cooperate with whatever demon's wishes were.

"How could you?" Yusuke's voice dripped with absolute hatred as he felt the cold, metal, energy cuffs being placed on his arms once more.

"You would never understand." she stated in a totally different and much higher pitched voice, before brushing some of her now short and choppy purple hair from her light violet eyes and taking her rightful place beside Nero.

"Beautiful Sahara, or should I say Kagami? I believe that you have something else that I need as well." He addressed her and held out his hand, as if expecting her to hand something over to him. She nodded and slowly pulled out a necklace with a small ring on the end. A silver ring with a large green stone set in the middle.

"The Diamante curativo de la diosa..." Kurama stated, immediately recognizing it, as Kagami held it up in the air for all of them to see..

"Correct Kurama. I am impressed that Koenma's lackey's would know of it. Now my dear hand it over." He grinned, his eyes dancing over the beautiful gem in this girls hand. She closed her hand over the treasure and turned her now violet eyes to his face.

"First complete our deal. I gave you the spirit detectives, now release the princess and the ring is yours." She demanded quietly, holding the gem close to her chest.

"Sweetie that's not how it works." He said as he formed a tornado around the detectives, debris flying everywhere and threatening to destroy them all.. "Now I'll ask you again, hand over that ring or your friends as well as the princess will die." She heard Yusuke cry out in pain as a large board from the floor crashed into his head. She felt and extreme pang of guilt and, against her better judgement, handing the chain to him

"The Diamante curativo de la diosa is mine at last. Take her as well." He demanded of his guards quietly, watching the swarm on the girl who had risked everything to bring this treasure, as well as the detectives to him.

"WHAT?" She screamed out, pushing some of the guards away from her, before being wrestled to the ground, two swords placed on both sides of her neck to restrain her from moving.

"Lock them up in the lowest part of the castle. Station guards there at all times! Kagami is to be quartered separately! I must take this to Lady Mukuro at once!" Nero barked all of his orders to his guards before stepping through a portal of his own creation.

"You will pay for this Nero, I swear it." Kagami whispered as the guards drug her down the long hallways before casting her into the deepest part of the dungeons and slamming the door, causing the room to go completely black.


	5. Chapter 4

"UGH! That stupid bitch!" Yusuke shouted as he pounded his shackles against the cell wall, hoping to free himself from his bonds so that he could kill Nero and that bitch who had betrayed them.

"Yusuke, I think it would be best if you settled down and we devised a plan. You busting up your arms isn't going to help." Kurama spoke quietly, eyeing the blood that was flowing from the many gashes that lined his teammates arms.

"I'm just sooo angry that she would do this to us! After we helped her escape from bondage and took her into our home, how does she repay us? She turns around and spits in our face that's what she does!" Yusuke shouted again, his mind racing over the scene that had played out before them just a few short hours ago. He wanted nothing more than to take that backstabber and show her how they handled those kinds of people back where he was from.

"I don't know Yusuke," Keiko said softly, her chocolate eyes glancing over at Yusuke, as if she was pleading with him to calm down.

"What's not to know Keiko? She kidnapped you two and then used you for bait." Kuwabara shook his head in agreement with his partner, "I mean if that's not backstabbing I don't know what is."

"Well, possibly if you would let me explain, maybe I could help get you out of here." Came a voice from the corner. All eyes landed on a small block sliding from the wall and out came Kagami, her purple hair pasted to her forehead as she tried to move the block better out of the way.

"WHAT THE HELL?? I THOUGHT YOU WERE CHAINED UP IN A SEPERATE CELL." Yusuke shouted once again, his blue aura flaring around him causing Kagami's eyes to widen when she felt the pulsating energy. However, she remained calm and made her way over to the side of the room where Keiko and Yukina were chained.

"Don't forget detective that I have made an art out of escaping chains and shackles and that I know this place like the back of my hand. Now let's get you guys down and out of here before Nero comes back." She pushed a piece of Yukina's bright aqua hair out of her eyes and went to work on her binds.

"Wait, how do we know we can trust you?" Yusuke spat, lunging for Kagami as she made her way over Keiko, as if he was afraid of what he was going to do to his girlfriend.

"Yeah, spill the beans, why did you turn on us?" Kuwabara asked, as he watched Yukina make her way over and begin healing the many minor wounds that the four of the had obtained in their battle against Nero's scum.

"Let me start at the beginning."  
**  
Flashback  
**  
_"Kagami! Watch that demon over there! I think I can handle these few!" A beautiful young woman's voice called out over the roar of the large demon who now lay at her feet. She rushed his two teammates that stood close, striking both of them with an elaborate display of martial arts, catching the both off guard._

_  
Kagami flew at this rather large demon throwing all of her weight into one attack. She managed to land a fast quick right in the middle of his forehead, easily knocking one of his eyes out of it's socket. However, before she was able to defend herself, he had grabbed her by the ankle and slung her across the clearing into the hard trunk of a large tree._

"What the hell?" Kagami cursed, pushing herself into a crouching position. 

_She searched around the clearing for any sign of the demon. She caught a whiff of his scent, but before she could even turn around, she felt the tearing of her own flesh as his jagged dagger pierced her chest. She pulled the dagger out without a thought and thrust it into the demons thick neck, killing him almost instantly. After the initial burst of adrenaline left her body, she fell in a crumpled position, her blood sinking into the cold ground beneath her._

"Kagami!" The other young girls voice cry out when she noticed her friend lying in a pool of her own blood on the ground.

"My Princess, I'm sorry that I wasn't st-strong enough to protect you." Kagami said with great difficulty, her eyes pouring tears as she looked up into the amber eyes of the former Toki princess.

"Shhh, don't say such things Kagami. You are going to be ok." Sahara stated, tears threatening to spill out of her own eyes as she began rummaging through the pockets of her tattered jeans.

"I wish...that I could be there when you reclaim your throne." Kagami whispered, closing her eyes and rest against the princess's lap, feeling her friends troubled breathing.

"Oh Kagami, you and I both know that day will never come. Now come on, I have a way that I can help you." The princess said joyfully, pulling a small object from her pocket and placing it on her right index finger.

"How, there's no way...I can...recover from this blood loss." Kagami managed to choke out, feeling her limbs beginning to grow cold as more of her life essence spilled onto the ground.

"Using the Diamante curativo de la diosa" 

**End Flashback**

"So after that, I was instantly healed and able to walk away from such devastating injuries with very little evidence that I had even been hurt," Kagami explained as she freed the last detective, Yusuke.

"However, using the stone came at a price, because it disappeared shortly after that." Kagami said with a sigh, obviously having much difficulty telling the next part, "Nero somehow retained a lock on the princess's energy signal and tracked us down. I don't remember much of the battle, but I do remember being struck in the head and hearing the princess trying to take on the swarm of demons alone. I awoke with a note attached to my shirt that read 'If you want the princess back, bring the Diamante curativo de la diosa and the spirit detectives to me, and I shall release her.'" Kagami said finishing her story.

"So Sahara is here? In this castle?" Kuwabara asked dumbfounded, his eyes looking over at the lavender haired girl who looked as if she could lose her composure and cry in front of them at any moment.

"Yes you fool, she said that a while back." Hiei stated now rubbing his newly freed wrist and making sure that his katana was fastened back in it's proper place.

"So what's the plan of action?" Kurama asked as he gazed out the small cut out window in the door, watching for any signs of guards.

"We must rescue the princess!" Kuwabara shouted taking a rather unique pose very reminiscent of the old Superman poses.

"For once I agree with you Kuwabara. I cannot and will not leave the princess here. They will kill her, if...they haven't already." Kagami said quietly, her eyes brimming with tears at the thought of her best friend being killed. 

"Don't think that way Kagami." Yukina said with a gently touch to her shoulder, "I'm sure she's safe and sound somewhere in the castle," Her cool voice soothed Kagami while she used her healing powers to heal the minor cuts that were spread throughout Kagami's body.

"Yeah! They had to use something to get you here right? She's got to be alive!" Keiko's cheery voice caused a small smile to appear on the young demon's face.

"You're right, now let's blow this pop stand and find Princess Sahara!" She shouted pumping her fist in the air as she ran out the door, with the rest of the team close on her heels.

"Great...another idiot." Hiei mumbled to himself before dashing off after the rest of the team.

Kagami fled down the countless dark hallways of the palace, desperately searching the many different cavities, hoping to find some trace of her long lost friend. She had even enlisted the help of several of Nero's favorite tortured victims and repaid them with their release for helping. She skidding in front of to large metal doors, instantly going to work on the electronic lock that was placed in the middle of them.

She pulled the face plate off and gazed at the intricacies that were inside of the mechanical device. Never before had she seen a device that was so advanced in demon world, but she knew of many that were very much like it in the human world. She grinned when a vibrant green wire came into view, and quickly sliced it in half making the giant doors shudder in place before sliding open, revealing a young girl floating in some sort of fluid filled tank.

"THERE SHE IS!!!!" Kagami cried out joyously as she ran to the tank, wrapping her arms around it and gazing up into the Princess's sleeping face. She had found her, and she was so glad to see that she was in one piece.

The gang came quickly in and all encircled the tube that held the form of the sleeping princess. She looked almost identical to the picture that Koenma had shown them at the beginning of this mission. Her dark hair flowed down to the small of her back, much of it wrapped around her form as if it was protecting her from any danger she may come in contact with.

"Why is she in this stuff?" Kuwabara asked as he leaned in closer to examine the liquid a little closer.

"It's called a hibernative state, which keeps those prisoners who can get a little out of hand well, in line." a voice replied from behind them. The entire group turned their heads just in time to be hit with a great wall of wind and be thrown apart from each other.

"Is everyone alright?" Kurama asked quickly, his eyes softening a bit when they landed on the sight of Keiko helping up the now bleeding Yukina.

"Don't worry about us, you guys take care of this guy!" Keiko shouted as she hoisted Yukina onto her back and ducked under a large table that was stationed in the front of the room.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!!!" Nero shouted angrily as he flew at Kagami grabbing her by the throat. "It was a fake! I should kill your precious princess right here in front of you now for your insolence!"

"I don't think that would be wise Nero. Look around you, you are surrounded by Spirit World's elite fighting force." Kagami choked out, her eyes threatening to close and drift off into slumber from the lack of oxygen. Nero glanced around for a moment, taking in the position that he was in. He chuckled for a moment seeing the tense faces of the detective team, before carelessly tossing Kagami into a wall.

"You want to fight me team Urameshi, bring it on!" he said. Suddenly the whole room became almost like a giant wind tunnel as another tornado ripped it's way through.

"You ready Kuwabara?" Yusuke shouted, his finger glowing a bright blue as he prepared to fire his spirit gun.

"Let's go Urameshi!" The tallest of the group summoned his sprit sword and with that the team was off. Yusuke fired a shot in Nero's direction to distract him, while Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama, went in for close up, hand-to-hand combat.

Kagami struggled to pull herself from the rubble, watching as the four men tried desperately to bring Nero down. She became quickly discouraged when she saw Kuwabara being knocked away from the quarreling group, but Nero never missed a beat. He continued blocking every attack that the remaining teammates could throw at him.

"To bad boys, my turn, WRATH OF THE TEMPEST" Nero shouted as the boys were easily swept away from him and each held against the wall by a huge gust of wind. "It's such a pity, really. I expected so much more out of you guys, especially you Hiei. I thought my predecessor would be much stronger but apparently I was wrong." he said as the team continued to struggle against the wind trying to get free.

"Now what to do, what to do. I could just destroy the Princess now and that would mean that you all failed at your objective, or I could find a new way to torture you first. Hmmm, decisions." He stated in a teasing like manner as he paced and looked as if he was really contemplating the idea. "I like the torture part. DEADLY TORNADO DEBRIS!" He shouted again as thousands of pieces of flying debris began flying straight towards Yukina and Keiko.

"NO NERO!! YOU LEAVE THEM OUT OF THIS!!!" Yusuke shouted as he began to struggle harder against the wind restraint, his mazoku side threatening to take over his body and tear him limb from limb.

"Detective, they were already in this when Kagami first..." But he was cut off by a completely inhuman scream filling the room. Nero chuckled as he turned his gaze back to, what he assumed were the dead or now dying girls. His eyes widened at the sight that fell upon his eyes. There, lying on top of Yukina and Keiko, was the mangled and free bleeding body of Kagami.

"OH NO KAGAMI!!! YUKINA CAN YOU DO SOMETHING!!!" Keiko shouted to her friend as she lay her down on her back, preparing her for whatever Yukina could do.

"Keiko, I'm afraid my powers are not enough to save her from this. Let's just try to make her comfortable in her final moments." Yukina's eyes brimmed with tears as she took Kagami's hand in her tiny one, trying to comfort her until death came.

"Pathetic fool, risking her life for the very people who hate her." Nero laughed at the young girls misfortune. Suddenly, the entire fortress shook with a great force, causing dust to fly off of the many surfaces of the dark room, "Damn earthquakes." he mumbled to himself as he stepped over a ceiling tile that had fallen from the ceiling.

There was another tremor, this time stronger than the last. He ran over to the tank gazing up at the still sleeping form of the princess. "It's impossible! She can't be!" Suddenly, the princess eyes opened and Nero fell to his knees, horrible choking sounds emerging from his throat. The gang watched from their bound states as Nero's body became very much like a rag doll, being thrown from the ground, the hitting the ceiling, before hitting the ground again. Then suddenly, just at it had all began, it all stopped. Nero's body hung in midair for a moment before plummeting to the ground.

The wind that had restrained them released and they ran to the tank. They watched as the princess closed her eyes once again. This time when she opened them, a violent green light surrounding her body, making the tank crack in many different places. The tank shattered a moment later, causing shards of glass to fly all over the room, the liquid spilling out all over the floor. The princess stepped out of her once enclosed princess and onto the floor, her body still giving off it's eerie green glow. But instead of looking at the people who had come to rescue her, her eyes remained focused on the now very still body of Kagami.

"Don't worry Kagami," she stated quietly as she made her way over to her fallen friend, bending down so that she could place her hands on her face. "Everything will be alright." The green light became brighter as she transferred some of her own energy into her friend. The light faded and slowly, Kagami opened her violet eyes, staring at the room and the many people who surrounded her.

"P-Pr-Princess Sahara?" She asked when her eyes met a familiar amber gaze.

"Yes, Kagami, it's me." She said quietly, smiling while tears filled her eyes.

"Well, let's get you guys out of here." Yusuke said quickly as he took the slightly injured Keiko on his back while Kuwabara went and grabbed Yukina.

"Your highness, I can grab Kagami since she is more my height, but if you would like Hiei could take you." Kurama stated as he picked Kagami up causing her to blush a bright red that clashed horribly with her purple hair.

"Thank you." She said politely as Hiei scooped her up roughly and the gang all proceeded through the portal, back to the office of Koenma.


	6. Chapter 5

'That was definitely an interesting feeling,' Sahara thought to herself as she felt the enormous pressure being lifted as the gang emerged from the portal into an all to familiar office. She looked up at the fire demon who still held her tightly in his arms, catching his ruby gaze for a moment. She smiled at him, earning a smirk in return before he released her, sending her crashing to the floor.

Kagami was out of Kurama's arms in the blink of an eye and in Hiei's face, "**YOU WILL APOLOGIZE NOW SIR!**", She screamed in Hiei's face, as she leaned down to help Sahara up off the wooden floor, "Honestly, I can't believe someone would be so arrogant, and rude to drop…." Sahara's index finger landed gently on her lips, effectively silencing Kagami.

She turned back to look at Hiei again, her amber eyes meeting his crimson ones in a short gaze, "Don't worry, Kagami," she said quietly as she removed her finger, "He has done his duty and I can't thank him, as well as the rest of you for rescuing me." She said with a bright smile and a small bow.

Kagami, who was still fuming, took her place beside Sahara while shooting her violet glare across the room to an unfazed fire demon. Sahara giggled as she gazed around the ornate office, 'Wow, I can't believe how much has changed.' She smiled to herself as memories of former days spent in this office flooded her mind, memories of the good old days before everything had gone so horribly wrong.

"Please, Princess," Kurama said softly pulling out his chair for her, "Have a seat and make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you, Kurama," she said politely, "But, you don't have to go out of your way for me. Besides, I'm not planning on staying here long anyway." She smiled gently at him, causing the kitsune's face to take on a color very similar to that of his hair.

"I had been wondering for a long time if the rumors were true," Came a low, hushed voice from the large leather chair behind the desk, currently facing the wall.

"And I was wondering whether or not you had forgotten how to speak, your highness," Sahara's voice became almost frigid as she forced herself down into a mocking bow, as if she was worshiping the very desk where he sat.

The Prince chuckled at her blatant display of disobedience as he watched her for a minute longer, 'I guess I deserved that,' he thought to himself wiping a tear from his eye. "Princess Sahara Toki," He spoke softly, watching her hair falling gracefully around her shoulders as she stood, brushing it out of her face, "My, it has been far too long." He rose, moving to embrace her.

She held her hand up, halting his advance, "Not long enough, as far as I'm concerned," her voice came as cold as she could muster, her amber gaze set in a glare on Koenma's face. She could never forgive him for what he had done to her. He told her, that the spirit detectives were never to be re-commissioned, and yet here she sat in his office, surrounded by the four men that she felt would have saved her father and their kingdom had they been there.

"Come now Princess," Koenma said, shaking his head as he made his way back to his seat, "There is no reason to spiteful to such an old friend, I just want a bit of information and then you can go."

"What is it that you wish to know?" She asked him, her gaze settling on the floor, her eyes threatening to fill with tears if she continued to look into his face any longer.

"First, how did you fake your own death?" Koenma asked as he pulled her file from a stack on his desk, pen in hand and ready to write down the story she told him.

"Your father helped me with that." She said quietly, "Simple as that. The day I had come to visit you, he told me should things turn out for the worse, to fake my death. He would sign the paper work and I would be allowed to return to the Makai under a new identity." She smirked at the expressions that had befallen her newly found friends.

"So, what did you do?" Koenma asked, as the entire group leaned closer, wanting to find out just what she had to do in order to free herself.

She paused for brief moment, her hands instinctively stroking the scar through his shirt as she remembered the day she had plunged the sword through her, still feeling the metal tearing through her flesh. "So, I pierced my flesh with the sword of my ancestors and he declared my death, and I was released. And seeing as how I am royalty, I would have passed through his chambers instead of yours."

Koenma sat back in his chair, a look of absolute horror plastered on his face. He couldn't believe it. This girl, who he had known her entire life, had been will to do the unthinkable in order to stay with her people until the very end. He massage his eyes sockets as he contemplated his next questions. "Team," he said quietly, drawing all eyes back to him, "I would like for you to step out, I need to speak to the Princess alone for a few moments."

"It's just Sahara now," she said venomously, Kagami's eyes filling with tears as she noticed the pictures of their once beautiful kingdom on Koenma's desk, "You should know yourself that I have no kingdom to call my own."

"Fine, Sahara," he said quietly, "I would like to speak to you in private." He said as the team began to make their way out of the room.

"Don't bother leaving you guys," she said quietly, "I have nothing more to say to him about this subject." The team glanced at each other for a moment, before taking their original positions.

"This is MY team, and you will NOT give them orders." Koenma, obviously losing his cool, shot back matching her glare. "You have no right to tell them to disobey my orders."

"What's the matter Koenma?" She asked, her eyes narrowing more, "Are you afraid to let your group of most trusted friends know that you stood by and watched an innocent group of people be massacred?" She asked, the corner of her mouth turning up into and sharp smirk as she watched the expressions of shock form on their faces.

"What do you mean a massacre?" Yusuke asked Sahara, before turning his gaze back to Koenma, "What people was massacred and why weren't we called?"

"My people," Sahara managed to choke out, her eyes brimming with tears. Koenma looked away from the group, shame written all over his face along with the regret of the things he had done. "The Toki people, they were killed two years ago by Mukuro and her minions. Everyone, women and children were murdered at the hands of that evil woman while Spirit World did nothing to help us."

"But, Sahara, Spirit World may not have gotten wind of it in time to do anything about it." Kurama said, making his way over to the Princess and placing his and on her back, hoping to soothe her.

"No," She started again, trying to regain her composure, "They knew."

"How can you say they knew?" Yusuke implored, turning to face her, "I mean sure, they are supposed to know what's going on and everything, but they can't know everything, it's just impossible."

"I know they knew because I came to tell them." She said flatly, causing Kagami's eyes to fill with tears as well. The entire team turned to face the Spirit World Prince who was now staring out of the window once more.

"She did, that I do not deny," He said flatly, not even turning to face his team.

"And that bastard," she started, allowing a few tears to fall, "Sat there and watched them take my father, my people, and my country away from me." Kagami sobbed loud enough to startle the group as Keiko and Yukina made their way over, wrapping their arms gently around the girl who had betrayed them, allowing her to cry on their shoulders.

"But there is something that doesn't make sense," Kurama stated, turning his jade eyes to gaze into the quickly reddening face of the princess, wiping away a few of her tears, "If you were there, why didn't you fight?"

"My father thought," she stopped for a moment, holding back a sob as the memory of her father flashed before her eyes, "H-he thought I should stay back in the palace. Give the people a hope, and keep moral up." She leaned her head over onto Kurama's shoulder, accepting the warmth that he was giving her as a comfort, "So I stood in my bedroom, Kagami at my side, and watched the horror that played out before us."

"You have no right to say anything about my situation if you were not willing to do something about it yourself." Koenma said softly, his gaze hardening on the window, hearing the soft sobs of Kagami behind him.

Before Kurama could even get a grasp on Sahara, she had charged Koenma. The prince was caught by a strong punch to the jaw that sent him flying back over his desk. She leapt elegantly over the desk and stood above Koenma, grabbing his shirt collar and hoisting his face up to hers.

"SAHARA!" Yusuke shouted as he tried to pry her hands from his collar while Hiei wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from escaping his grasp, "that's enough! I'm sure he did everything in his power to help! Killing him now is not going to solve anything!"

"You just don't get it do you detective?" she said coolly as she let Koenma slump back to the floor, the Prince scrambling to stop his freely bleed nose. "This man, that I had trusted all my life turned his back on my people in our most desperate time, he knew it was coming but not even send so much as one soldier to our aid."

"And you expected me just to throw out my army to you?" Koenma stuttered, his hand now clamped tightly over his nose, "And if I recall, you requested the aid of the Spirit Detective team."

"That I did, and you told me that your father took that power away from you," she said, her eyes ablaze as she struggled against Hiei's firm grasp, "But that was a lie. You were not to re-commission them except in dire emergencies. I think that our situation fell under that category."

The team turned to face Koenma, who fell utterly silent before the girl. She scoffed, "Don't try to blame things on anyone else here, Koenma, because in the end the blame all lies on you." She said coldly, finally breaking free of Hiei's grasp, the fire demon still keeping a close watch on her. "You are nothing but a low down, spineless coward."

"Now you hold one just one moment," Koenma said turning to face her, "You are going to far now!"

She walked away from the group, throwing open the large oak doors, "I will be waiting for your decision on what to do with me. But I will not subject myself to your lies any longer." She turned to her still sobbing counter part, taking her by the arm, "Come on, Kagami." She walked out the doors and slammed them hard enough to make a few books fall off the massive shelf behind Koenma.

"Girls," Koenma said softly, trying his best to wipe the blood off his face with a handkerchief, "I would appreciate the two of you accompanying them, take them to the living quarters please."

"Yes sir," the girls said in unison as they made their way quietly from the room.

The Prince sighed and made his way slowly back to his seat, his head still spinning from the head shot he had received, "Quite a mouth on that one, eh?" he said half jokingly as he plopped in his large chair.

"Koenma," Kurama started, taking his place back between Kuwabara and Hiei, "Might I ask something?"

"Of course, Kurama," the Prince said as he pushed all of the Toki file back into Sahara's folder, "What is it that you would like to know?"

"Well, it's just that, I was wondering why you have been searching for the Princess, sir." Kurama said quietly, earning a gaze from all of his fellow teammates as well as the Prince.

"Well," Koenma said quietly, not really quite sure how much of his past he wanted to reveal to his team, "Though it may not seem like it now, we used to be the best of friends. When I heard the rumors that she was alive, well, I wanted to see for myself. Thank you for bringing her back here."

"Why are you thanking us?" Kuwabara's voice echoed slightly in the quiet room, "I mean, she just slugged you man! Why would you thank us for bringing in someone that just slugged you?"

"I was concerned for her safety." The Prince said flatly, causing Yusuke and Kuwabara to side glance at one another.

"OHHHHH" Yusuke's voice became very reminiscent of a third grad tattle tale, "I'm telling Botan that Koenma has a girlfriend." Yusuke said in a sing-song voice, accompanied by a little dance.

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Koenma's voice roared throughout the room, causing the mazoku to make his way back to his seat, pouting that his fun had been cut short. "You've heard her story, if people knew she was alive, there would be an automatic bounty placed on her head."

"Chill out, dude," Yusuke said quickly, smirking a bit," I was just messing with you." He flashed Koenma a peace sign.

"She's way to pretty for him anyway," Kuwabara mumbled under his breath, which caused Yusuke and Kurama to snicker lightly.

"Not only that," the now very flustered Koenma said, bringing the attention back to him, "But she is the descendent of a great power. All the Toki heirs have the potential of harnessing the original power which earned their throne." The team instantly became more interested when hearing of this new power,

"Sahara was trained by her father when she was young, however, I don't think her training progressed very far. Her being crowned the only heir to the throne when she was five, cut the training short." Koenma sighed once more, a little eager to give the team their official assignment, but unsure of how Sahara would handle the situation.

"So, what is it that you want us to do?" Yusuke asked, obviously growing impatient with the Prince's overanalyzing the situation.

"Well, I think that the four of you should train her," Koenma said, watching the four boys eyes go wide for a moment, "Start her off slow at first but build her up quickly. I think she will be a great asset to the team if she could control this power."

"So, are you saying that we have a chick on the team now?" Kuwabara cocked his head to the side, a little antsy at this new hope.

"If, you can get her to agree to it." Konema shook his head.

"Oh don't worry, Koenma," Yusuke said slyly, "Will get her to agree."

"Yeah, but what about the idiot that's attached to her hip?" Hiei asked from his chair, his eyes never looking up from the gaze he had set on his boot.

"He's right," Kurama interjected, "Sahara is not likely to stay here if we put Kagami out."

"Kagami can stay too." Koenma said quietly, "We have more than enough room, but I don't want her fighting." He said as he reviewed the file he had pulled on Kagami, "She's pretty new to the whole world of combat and it would probably be dangerous to her health if she did."

"Right, let's go tell them!" Yusuke said as he and Kuwabara raced out of the office and towards the living area of the mansion, Kurama following at a much slower pace.

"Hiei," Koenma spoke softly, to make sure no one heard his next comment, "It's probably best if you don't reveal that you were the one who lead the attack on the Toki."

"And why not?" Hiei snapped back, images of the death and destruction of the kingdom flooded his memory as he saw the face of a scared young princess, crumpled on the floor beneath him.

"Think about it, Hiei," Koenma said coldly, hoping to get through to the prideful fire demon, "You've seen what this power she holds is capable of doing when she gets angry. She can't control that, and I would hate to lose one of my best detectives because of a boastful spirit."

"That is one battle," Hiei said softly while exiting, "I would never brag about."

**With Sahara**

"LET ME GO, PRINCESS!" Kagami's screams echoed throughout the living portion of the mansion as she struggled against her friend's strong grip, "I'LL KILL THAT WORTHLESS SON OF A BITCH!"

"Are we interrupting?" Yusuke asked as he and Kuwabara darted into the room, eyes wide at the scene before them.

Sahara released her former maid from the chokehold she had placed her in, "Sorry detectives," she said with a bow, "We were just discussing or current situation." She said with a smile as she reached up and pushed Kagami's head down so that she bowed as well.

"Well, we've come to see if you would like to join our team," Kurama said quietly as he and Hiei entered the room as well.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up for a moment as she looked around at the four men before her. "But what about…"

"Kagami can stay," Kurama said with a smile, seeing the happiness overtake the girls faces.

"Then you boys have a new teammate." She said cheerily, Kagami leading her to her room so that she could clean up and get to bed.

"Training starts tomorrow morning!" Kurama called as he watched the two go up the stairs, "Don't be late!"


	7. Chapter 6

She was jerked from her dream world as an awful shrieking noise filled the room. She groaned and pulled one of the spare pillows over her head, hoping the drown out the awful alarm clock Koenma's ogre had placed there late in the night. She reached over and turned the clock off, not even bothering to pull her head from underneath the pillow, drifting off to sleep as silence filled room once more.

Suddenly, Sahara felt herself falling, tumbling off the mattress. She immediately sat up as soon as she hit the ground, only to find the mattress falling on top of her small frame.

"It's about time you got up." Yusuke's voice rang in her ears as she managed to pull herself out from under the mattress. "Come on now, WAKEY WAKEY!" Yusuke shouted the last part in a sing song voice, causing Sahara to cover her ears.

"Yusuke, must you be so loud at the this time of the morning?" She groaned as she caught sight of the clock, which red 6:00 a.m. in bright red letters.

He grinned at her, placing his strong arms under her arms and pulling her to her feet, "I just wanted to make sure you weren't late for your first breakfast with the team."

She giggled at the detective who was now bowing to her, "I'll be down in a few minutes, just allow me to get changed."

"Don't be late, my lady." He said with a wink as he left her room hurriedly, slamming the door behind him.

She smiled at the door a moment longer before turning to gauge the damage that had been done. 'Who know one person could make such a mess in so short a time.' she chuckled to herself as she tried to tidy the room by at least putting the mattress back on the bed, so they servants wouldn't have to much work to do.

Sahara panted lightly as she made her way to her closet, slightly out of breath from moving the heavy mattress all by herself. 'Now, what does on wear when they train with a bunch of boys?' she asked herself as she threw open the doors.

She smiled, seeing that the ogres had also stocked her closet with a complete collection of various training clothes and all without disturbing her last night. 'I must remember to thank them' she thought to herself as she pulled out a pair of black stretch shorts and a pink tank.

"SAHARA!" Kuwabara's voice startled her slightly, making her nearly jump out of the shorts she had just put on, "HURRY UP! BREAKFAST IS READY!"

She trotted out of the room and quickly down the stairs, hoping that she remembered where the dining room was. When she entered, the sight before her astounded her. Never before had she seen so many different types of breakfast foods gathered in one place, not to mention the various types of fresh fruits that were also scattered among the rest. Her mouth began to water viciously, and her gnawing hunger, that she had almost completely forgotten about until now, began to kick in as she picked up a large, glass plate.

"Pretty good, eh?" Yusuke asked, his mouth half full with some form of pancake, "Koenma takes really good care of his team, wouldn't you agree?" He asked handing over one of the bagels he had on his plate.

"Thanks for the bagel, Yusuke," she said quietly taking a bite out of it, "But, I want everything!" she said excitedly as she began filling her plate with many different types of food.

"I like your style!" Yusuke cheered, picking up his plate and quickly refilling it, pilling it so high, that it threatened to topple off the sides.

She moved quickly around the table, picking up a piece of this here, sampling a bit of that there, before she was satisfied with her selection and made her way over to sit beside Kurama. It was then that she began to tear into her breakfast with a ravenous hunger, her mouth covered in a mixture of syrup and scrambled eggs.

"Hn, some princess." Hiei spoke quietly, sipping on his coffee from the opposite side of the table.

"What?" She question, her mouth still full of food as she faced the fire demon.

"What Hiei means, is that you have a little food on your face," Kurama translated, lifting a napkin to her cheeks and gently cleaning off the food that now hung there.

Sahara blushed a violent red, "I'm so sorry!" she said quickly, bowing her head, "Please forgive my rude manners, I was just so hungry!"

"It's alright," Kurama spoke, placing a hand on her shoulder, we don't hold against you here, we've seen people each much worse than that before.

"Yeah, and besides, you went without food for what three months?" Yusuke asked from the opposite end of the table, pushing his now completely empty plate away from him.

"Yes, I believe so," Sahara thought for a moment, trying to remember exactly how long she had been kept in that place, "I don't remember the exact day, but I would say it was around three months."

"So, you were starving, no big deal." Yusuke held up a peace sign, causing the princess to giggle a bit.

"What idiots." Hiei mumbled, earning a glare from the kitsune who sat across the table from him.

After enjoying her wonderful meal, Sahara made her way into the kitchen, holding a large stack of dirty dishes in her hands. She couldn't believe that those boys could make such a mess doing such a simple thing as eating breakfast. She blushed again as the image of Kurama entered into her mind, goose bumps appearing on her skin as she ran her fingers along the very spot where his hands had been.

She smiled again, placing the dishes into the sink for the ogres, and making her way out to the training arena, excited about her first day training with the detectives. She plopped down on the ground a few feet away from the detectives and began to stretch out her very tense muscles. She saw the four boys get up from there places and move into a huddle, which raised her curiosity. She leaned in closer, trying to focus on what they were saying to on another.

"What are we going to do, Kurama?" Yusuke said in a hushed tone, glancing over at Sahara, who was still stretching, "I thought you had a plan for training her."

"I cannot make a plan until I know exactly what she can do," Kurama said back, his mind running over the display she had made in Nero's fortress.

"Well, we've seen already what she can do, remember what she did to Nero?" Kuwabara's voice came out as a complete whisper, "I mean, she totally whipped his ass! None of us could have done that."

"This is true, Kuwabara," Kurama spoke gently, as not to upset Kuwabara, "However, I believe the powers took over her and that she had no control. Without them, we don't know how strong she is, or if we can even bring them out."

"Well, let's just bring them out again." Yusuke whispered, his eyes never leaving Sahara, making sure she did not try to listen in on their planning session.

"Not that simple, Yusuke," Kurama shook his head, "It would take a great emotional hit, much like the one we planned at the dark tournament for you, to bring out her powers again."

"And we can't exactly go around killing everyone to bring her powers out for training," he's voice was cold, turning his crimson gaze to Kuwabara, "Though, I would love the chance to try it out on a few members of this little group."

"THAT'S IT SHRIMP!" Kuwabara roared, startling the rest of the group, as well as Sahara, "YOU ARE DEAD!" He cried out as he dove for Hiei, who quickly dodged, making the detective fall flat on his face.

"HA, you kill me?" Hiei chuckled a bit from the low branch he stood on, "That will be the day that the human race completely rules over the demon breed."

"What's going on you guys?" Sahara asked as she rose from the ground, dusting off her backside.

"Well," Yusuke said as he dusted a bit of grass from her back, "we were just trying to decide how we were going to train you."

"Yeah," Kuwabara joined, completely forgetting the feud he was having with Hiei, "Koenma told us to start you off slow, but I think you should be started off at a fast pace, what with the way you beat Nero and all."

"I did what?" Sahara's gold eyes went wide for a moment at the bit of information that had just been revealed to her.

"You beat Nero, don't you remember?" Kurama asked, puzzled at the response she had. 

"No, there's no way I beat him." She argued crossing her arms, "I tried to fight him many times during my imprisonment, and every time he overpowered me. There is no way that I was strong enough to do that kind of damage to him after being locked away for so long."

She looked around the circle at the group of confused faces that stared back at her. She didn't back down though, "In any case, if I had taken care of him, why can't I remember doing it?"

"Well," Kurama thought for a moment, trying to remember some facts he had once read about those kept in the hibernative state, "It could be a side effect from whatever they used to keep you in that state. Memory loss is very common for the first few hours after a person emerges from the state."

"But that's silly Kurama, I remember everything else that went on."

"What happened then? Tell us your side of the story." Kurama implored, trying to figure out exactly what had happened yesterday.

"Well, I don't remember much from being inside the tube," she said quietly, closing her eyes, as if she was watching her memories play out before her, "But, I do remember feeling a great energy beginning to swell up, and I immediately recognized it as Nero's. Next thing, I felt myself being pulled from the tank and waking up with Kagami in front of me."

If Kurama hadn't seen the events unfold before his very eyes, he felt that he would have probably believe the young princess who stood before him. However, the differences in the stories baffled him, and he knew that he would need to do a bit more research on the subject later.

"So what are we going to do?" She asked again, obviously trying not to lose her patience with the four boys who still didn't believe her, "Have you come up with some sort of plan to train me yet?"

"Well, if you are in the situation I think you are in," Kurama said, pacing around her for a moment, as if examining her for any signs of a possession of any type of mind control device, "Then, I think we should start you off on a rigorous training schedule, something to help you learn to develop the powers you have, while we try to get to the bottom of just what happened the other day."

"Meaning?" Yusuke asked, obviously confused by whatever plan Kurama had concocted in that head of his.

"I think, that you should start out fighting us, two on one." Kurama said flatly, causing Sahara's heart to flutter at the thought of facing to of the dreaded Spirit Detectives at one time.

Kuwabara immediately stepped up, "Hold on, Kurama," He stepped in front of Sahara, "Two on one is not fair!"

"I'm aware of that Kuwabara, but, for the time being, it's the only plan I have." Kurama shook his head. "Botan, could you bring us a pen and some paper?" Kurama asked the reaper through the use of his communicator.

"Well, I don't like it," Kuwabara said, turning to face Sahara. He bent down a bit so that he could look her square in the eye, "Sahara, you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"He's right you know, Sahara," Kurama said, coming over to her as well, "We can't force you to do anything you don't want to. After all, you are here as our guest and I wouldn't want to seem rude." He smiled down at Sahara, causing a faint blush to tinge her cheeks. "I don't want you to feel pressured, if you want to start off slowly, then we will do that. It's up to you."

She felt her heart beating at an abnormally fast rate as she contemplated the two options. On one hand, she was scared to death of the group of boys that stood before her. She had seen the way they handled their opponents when she had been at the dark tournament and was fully aware of the fact that she was no where near their level of expertise when it came to fighting. She knew that doing the training one on one would be the easiest possible route for her.

On the other hand, she knew that the only way to figure out exactly what had gone on in Nero's fortress the other day was to do just as Kurama had said. She wanted to become much stronger, and the only way was by facing to overwhelming tasks of beating the Spirit Detectives in a two on one match. Those boys terrified her, but she knew that they only had her best interests at heart and that they would not allow any real damage to befall her.

She mulled over the two options in her head for a long while. "I will accept your challenge, Kurama." She said quietly, causing Kurama's face to light up and Kuwabara's to scowl.

"Don't worry Kuwabara," Kurama said, placing a hand on the detectives broad shoulder, "I do believe it's best to train her this way. Besides, we won't do her any real damage."

"I still don't like it." Kuwabara scoffed, pushing his teammates hand away from him.

"Kuwabara," Sahara spoke sweetly, wrapping her arms around the large detectives stomach, "Don't worry about me. I trust Kurama's judgment one hundred percent. I know that he wouldn't allow you guys to hurt me and that he just wants what is best for me."

"Well, ok," Kuwabara said patting her head lightly, "But I'm warning you guys, if any of you hurt her to bad, I'll kill you myself."

"My, that's not very nice, now is it?" a very bubbly voice asked from behind the group, causing Kuwabara to emit a scream that sounded very much like a two year old girl.

Sahara turned to face the direction from where the voice had came, her golden gaze falling on the blue haired, pink eyed, reaper name Botan. She smiled, realizing that the reaper must not have noticed her yet.

"Here you go Kurama, but what did you need," Botan stopped dead mid-sentence, "SAHARA!" She shrieked, obviously shocked to see the princess standing amongst the group of boys.

"Botan," Sahara said quietly, as she was wrapped in one of the tightest hugs she had ever experienced in her entire life.

"Oh Sahara!" Botan squealed again, tears forming in her eyes, "Where have you been? We all thought you were dead!"

"Botan," Sahara gasped for air, trying to wriggle free from the reaper's vice-like grasp, "If you don't let me go, I soon will be." The reaper giggled for a moment and released the hug, allowing Sahara to suck in more of the precious oxygen she had been deprived of.

"Well, Botan," Kurama said as he scribbled on the pieces of paper, folding each up so that the writing couldn't be seen, "We are beginning Sahara's training today, and I wanted to make sure that the two people she fought were drawn at random." The kitsune explained, as he handed Botan the four slips of folded up paper.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked, as she stared at the paper's in front of her.

"Mix them around, then hold them up, and allow Sahara to pick two." Kurama said quickly, Botan following his orders, "The two names she picks will be her opponents for the day."

Botan smiled down at Sahara and held up the papers as she had been told. Sahara looked at the four pieces of paper carefully, hoping to find some sort of way to see at least a piece of the names. She studied each and everyone, but when she could find no way to see them, picked the two on each side of the group.

"And now Botan, if you will read the names please." Kurama said quietly, his arms crossed, silently hoping that at least one of the names was his, so that he could go a little easier on the girl.

Sahara's heart began to race faster and fast as Botan slowly unfolded both pieces of paper. Her eyes trained intently on Botan's face, looking for some expression that would give away exactly who her opponents were. She hoped fate had been good to her and at least given her Kuwabara. She felt that she could easily take him down and then deal with whoever was the second duelist.

Botan's eyes went wide as she stared down at the two names that rested in her hands. "Sahara, your first two opponents are," Botan stopped, knowing the suspense was killing Sahara, wanting to mess with her head just a bit.

"Come on Botan, please don't do this to me." Sahara pleaded.

"Yusuke and Hiei." The reaper replied, causing Kurama, Kuwabara, and Sahara to gasp slightly at the revelation.


	8. Chapter 7

Sahara grinned nervously at the two boys that were walking alongside her, mentally kicking herself for not taking up Kuwabara's offer. She should have known that it would be her luck to get stuck with the two toughest fighters on the team. She took Yusuke's hand and hopped up onto the makeshift ring, taking her position opposite the two boys.

First, Sahara glanced over at the leader of the team, the one called Yusuke Urameshi. One would think, just by his appearance, that he would be an easy opponent to overcome especially by someone who had been raised in the land of demons. However, Sahara knew this was not the case as she watched him begin his classic stretches of rotating his shoulders.

Sahara had remember seeing the intensity in his face as he faced Toguro during the final match of the Dark Tournament almost six years ago and had heard the rumors of his victory over Sensui. One would think that after he was discharged, he would have allowed himself to get weak, however, the man who stood before her now was nothing short of miraculously well prepared for any battle he came across. He smirked at Sahara, as if he was excited about the chance to finally be in the ring once again.

Then, she turned her gaze to the shortest member of the team, her amber eyes boring into his crimson ones. He was a bit more of a mystery to her than his counterparts, since he had only spoken ten words around her since they had met. But Sahara, being well informed of the Spirit Detectives movements, knew exactly who Hiei was and what he had done.

An ex-con turned detective, Hiei was the second strongest member of team, and even that was up to debate sometimes. She closed her eyes, her memory reliving the horror that she had felt the first time he had released his fabled Dragon of the Darkness Flame. Her eyes snapped open, and wandered from his face to his right arm, where the bandages and special seals kept the dragon safely locked away until he needed it. He took his stance, hand poised at his katana, prepared to slice through Sahara with a single slice.

"Sahara?" Kurama's calming voice caused Sahara to snap back to reality, taking her eyes away from the two boys.

She got down into the best position she knew to take, her feet spread just shoulder width apart, hoping that it would help her to stay stable when fighting these to. Her hands trembled slightly as she pulled them up in front of her face, assuming that she would have to go on the defensive immediately. She exhaled heavily, hoping to calm her now shaking body and nodded towards Kurama.

"Begin." The kitsune whispered, almost afraid to watch the next few moments.

Before Sahara could even blink the two detectives were upon her, each striking violently with their fists. She grinned when she realized that she was doing quite well blocking the majority of the speed shots were her hands, the rest of them being shielded by different parts of her body.

'Apparently my defense is still top-notch,' Sahara thought to herself, after blocking Hiei's left fist from coming in contact with her cheek, ' Now, to see how my offense measures up.'

She caught both of Yusuke's fists, apparently catching the detective off guard, pushing him backwards causing him to lose his balance. She managed to get behind him and land a solid kick at the back of his spine, causing him to lurch forward in and unhealthy manner. While he tried to stabilize himself, she rounded on his teammate, her left leg flying towards Hiei's face.

The sound of metal tearing against flesh was heard as Sahara pulled herself off of Hiei's blade, her blood leaking on the white tile of the ring. However, Sahara let her guard down as she tried to inspect the wound and that was when they hit her. She had no time to even place up a second rate defense as she felt their fists pummeling every inch of her body. She managed to get a few hits in on Yusuke, but nothing was able to stop these two from their vicious assault on her. They jumped back for a moment, as if to allow her to breath.

Sahara collapsed onto her knees, her leg wound still spilling copious amounts of blood onto the floor. Her breath came in short, shallow breaths, her chest rising and falling at an abnormally fast rate as she tried to push herself from the ground.

"Sahara," Yusuke never dropped his frame, but his voice was full of concern, "Do you want us to stop?"

She smirked up at the detective who stood a mere foot from where she sat. Then without warning she struck, leaving the imprint of her shoe on the detectives stomach.

"I'm perfectly fine, Yusuke, give me everything you've got." She chuckled as she wiped a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth.

This is how it went on for what seemed like hours to those who were watching on the sidelines. Never before had they seen anyone stand up to the two strongest fighters on the team for so long. It was true, Sahara didn't get very many hits on the two men she so valiantly fought, but they were not able to land many critical hits on her either. It became apparent after thirty minutes of the agonizing battle that this would be a contest of pure stamina, not brute strength.

Sahara could feel her energy fading fast, but the few friends she had watching on the sidelines would have never been aware. She forced more and more energy into her defensive maneuvers hoping to wear done just one of the two detectives so that she could easily overpower them.

'Just a few more hits and Yusuke should be down,' she contemplated in her mind as she continued blocking the supersonic punches that flew at her from every possible angle, 'But I don't know how long this is going to take with Hiei. Perhaps when I take care of Yusuke I will try the offensive again.'

However, her mind had begun to wander a little to much, and Hiei seized her vulnerability but landing a firm punch to her gut, followed by a swift uppercut to the jaw which sent her quickly to the ground.

Yusuke's fears took over as he rushed to the now still Sahara's side. "Sahara! Are you ok?" He asked as he leaned down to be sure she was breathing.

She smirked at his foolishness and wrapped her arms easily around his neck, putting herself in a position where she knew he couldn't reach her. She smirked at his shocked teammate Hiei before landing a quick blow to the back of his neck, causing him to blackout instantaneously.

"SAHARA!" Kuwabara shouted at her as he drugged his unconscious teammate out of the ring, "That was a low blow!" he lectured, furious that Sahara had used the tactic of pity to stop the assault of one of the men.

"You forget, Kuwabara," She said sweetly, her eyes never leaving Hiei, "I learned to fight from demons. And though some play fair, most do not."

"Hn, so you aren't such an idiot after all." Hiei smirked as he drew his trusty katana from it's sheath. "However, I hope you don't think that I will be defeated with such a cheap shot. If you want to defeat me you will have to overpower me."

'I figured as much,' she thought to herself as she lunged for him, now throwing all of her available spirit energy into her offense.

This time, Hiei sped up his attacks hoping to prove the point that the cheap tricks would be not be the thing that defeated him. However, to his absolute shock, she managed to keep up with him with at least her eyes. He brandished his blade and charged for her, hoping to make a direct contact from above.

This caught her off guard as she had no way to defend herself. Sahara lifted her hands above her head and caught the blade midair, the sickening noise of the blade hitting her bones filled the air. However, Sahara did not falter, her amber eyes set in a hard glare at the fire demon who was staring down at her in utter shock. However, the standstill did not last long as he leapt away from her, managing to land a solid kick between her shoulder blades as he went, causing her to sink to her knees.

"Sahara!" Kurama called as he held up his hand for Hiei to stop the match, "Are you alright?"

She coughed a bit, blood mixed with saliva spattering on the ground, "I'm fine Kurama," She muttered as she pushed herself off the ground, trying her best to stand on her shaking legs.

Hiei smirked at her antics and quickly flew at her again, throwing his shoulder down into her stomach. He hit her with such a force that she skidded across the floor, her body bouncing across it's surface much as a pebble on a lake would.

"HIEI!" The now conscious Yusuke shouted furiously from the side, "GIVE HER TIME TO RECOVER!" He screamed again as Hiei lunged for Sahara again, this time jumping up and down on her stomach as if she were some sort of trampoline.

Sahara's entire body lurched upward with the force of Hiei's weight pressing on her midsection every time he jumped. She could see the blood flying from her mouth but with her energy being so completely drained she was absolutely powerless to stop the fire demon's onslaught.

"I'll kill him," Yusuke whispered to his teammates as he began to push himself up into the ring, "DAMN YOU HIEI, I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"

Hiei stopped abruptly, stepping off the mangled body of the princess and raising his katana to his own teammate. "Detective, you will do no such thing."

"And who's going to stop me?" Yusuke's seething anger bubbled from his every pore as he struggled against Kurama's firm grip. "LET ME GO KURAMA!"

"Urameshi, shut up for a minute will ya?" Kuwabara spoke quietly, his eyes darting around at the apparent storm that was beginning to form around them. "Something big is coming, I don't know what it is, but it's something big." He whispered, causing Yusuke to calm down a bit as he gazed around him.

They stood in the middle of what appeared to be some sort of hurricane, the ring being in the middle of a huge mass of swirling clouds. Lightning struck violently all around them, thunder shaking the ground as soon as the lightning would strike. Botan trembled at the sight and moved closer to Yusuke, hoping that he would provide her with some sort of protection. Suddenly, a loud cry was heard overhead as hundreds of birds began to flock from the trees and fly through the eye of the storm, hoping the escape it's wrath and whatever had brought it there.

"What the hell is going on here?" Yusuke asked, turning his gaze back to the fire demon who stood in the ring before him.

"Hn," he scoffed at his teammate as he turned his gaze back to the girl lying before him, his eyes narrowing at her form, "It is as I thought." He spoke quietly to her.

She coughed lightly, her eyes fluttering open as she looked at him in utter confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked quietly, her voice raspy from the early forms of dehydration.

"You are such a coward." He spoke flatly, putting his katana back in it's sheath.

"What are you talking about?" she asked again, as she tried desperately to push herself into a sitting position, the wind causing her hair to fan out around her.

"The way that Koenma talked, you were some sort of great hero, a warrior without any type of equal," he smirked as he began to pace around her, watching her shoulders rise and fall as she tried to keep herself from crying. "But here you sit before me, defeated, waiting for someone else to rescue you yet again."

"That's not true at all." She said in a near whisper, placing her face in her hands, hiding the fact that tears were slipping from her eyes.

"Oh, is that so?" he asked, pulling her up by the collar of her shirt so that she would face him, "Then why don't you prove it, you pathetic excuse for a human?"

"You don't understand," she whimpered in his grasps, tears still cascading down her cheeks, a few of them landing on his hands, "I'm just weak, I need more training."

"Convenient excuse," Hiei said sharply as he tossed her across the ring once more, "If you are so strong than prove it." He drew his katana and took his position.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position again, her arms quaking beneath her. She stared across at the fire demon who's gaze was set on her, as if he was waiting for her to make the first move. She heaved in a great sob before pushing again with her severely injured hands, managing to get back onto her feet. She stood there for a moment, trying desperately to stable herself before collapsing back to the ground, her body completely drained of all spirit energy.

"Hn," Hiei made his way over to her, standing over her huddled body glaring down at the girl, "It's no wonder your people were wiped off the face of this planet." He rocked his blade in his hand, "You can't even defeat one enemy, how could you have possibly led an army of thousands to defeat Mukuro?"

"Hiei, STOP!" Kurama's voice was absolutely furious coming from the opposite side of the ring, "That's quite enough!"

He smirked at his friend and lifted his blade high above her head, as if he was going to execute her, "Where is the savior of the Toki people now?"

He brought his blade down with great force, his teammates shrieking in the background and coming towards him. Suddenly it appeared as if all time had stopped and before any of the team could realize what had happened they had been thrown back to their original spot by some great force. Hiei stood, completely unable to move, his eyes darting nervously back and forth as he watched the green energy surging from the princess's body.

"Poor pitiful emiko," a much deeper, darker toned voice came from Sahara's mouth as she pushed herself from the ground with no trouble at all, the flames of her untapped energy dancing around her. "You have angered my weaker half, now I am afraid that you will have to deal with me."

"Your weaker half?" Hiei asked her, staring into her vibrant green eyes, almost in fear of what he had unleashed.

"No one, talks about our country and lives. How dare you even utter the name of the Toki people," She said with a quick slap to his face. "A half breed like you does not deserve that honor." She slapped him one more time, her spell still preventing him from moving, "You shouldn't even be alive and since that is the case, I will finish you here and now myself."

She lifted her hand into the sky, sunlight flooded the great eye of the storm her energy had created. After the light dimmed, a large beautiful bird flew down through the hold and landed gently on her shoulder, it's long, blue tail feathers wrapping protectively around it's master's body.

The onlookers could only assume that the bird was made of Sahara's energy, for never before had they seen such a bird. It was translucent, it's body giving off a distinct blue hue as it's tail feathers glinted, as if stars had been embedded within every feather.

"Shooting Star," Sahara spoke gently as she stroked the beloved bird that sat on her shoulder, "Finish him."

The bird sounded a great cry and lifted off into the sky once more, his great tail fanning out behind him. Suddenly, the clouds that surrounded them began to swirl violently around the eye of the storm. Sahara lifted her hand to the sky, physically pulling back the clouds, revealing shooting star, who was painting the bright sky in the cool shade of darkness, the stars shining everywhere the bird flew.

Sahara smirked once more at Hiei before lifting her hand to the sky again, calling on the powers of these stars. Hiei could only glance up, but it was just enough to see the great rocks that were falling from the sky, directly towards him. She released his spell just in time to watch him scurry around underneath each of the great burning masses, many of the singeing his skin. The smaller ones, cut deeply into his skin, causing blood to trickle from the many parts of his body.

After the attack was completed, Hiei slumped to the ground, exhausted from what he had endured. It was then that he saw Sahara, smirking and walking towards him. She glanced down at the fire demon who sat before her, her beaten body not holding her back as she stood with superiority to the man who not fifteen minutes before had been threatening to kill her.

"Well, Hiei," he deep voice shocked Hiei, but he did not flinch, he just waited quietly for death to come to him. She leaned down closer to him, so that she could whisper to him. "Perhaps I'll keep you around a bit longer. You are quite amusing when your life is on the line."

That was when all the adrenaline that had been pumping throughout Hiei's body subsided and he passed out from the exhaustion. Sahara's green eyes traced over his sleeping form, her smirk growing.

'I hope that will keep him off her back for a while.' She thought to herself, allowing her weaker half to take over. Sahara regained consciousness for a moment before falling over beside Hiei, her body completely drained of all spirit energy.


	9. Chapter 8

Sahara's head pounded very much like the rain on her window as she opened her eyes slowly. The sheer darkness that filled her eyes made her realize that someone had drawn the curtains tightly, so that she could get better sleep. She turned over on her left side, stretching out and turning her alarm clock around so that she could see the time.

'Two p.m.' she read in her mind as she pushed herself up onto one arm, immediately making her feel her head swimming once more. She silently cursed whatever she had done to give her this ridiculous headache, but she knew that she had to get up and go downstairs.

'Maybe all I need is a nice long walk and a big lunch,' she thought to herself as she moved lethargically to the closet and pulled out an outfit to wear. After completing her morning routine, she stepped into the hallway, her mind screaming out at her, cursing her for stepping into the bright light.

'What could have given me this ridiculous headache,' Sahara continually asked herself, holding her head, trying to prevent it from throbbing anymore. She rambled down the hall, not really paying attention to where she was going until she collided with another person, their skulls crashing against one another and causing Sahara to hit the ground, threatening to scream out in pain.

Her head throbbed more violently than ever as she laid on the carpeted floor, hoping that the pain would cease so that she could continue on her journey to the kitchen. She had not realized, nor really cared at that time, who she had run into or if they were hurt. She opened one of her amber orbs to look up at the person, to see a pair of ruby ones staring back down at her.

"Maybe you should focus more on walking and less on whatever is going on in that head of yours," Hiei's voice came as cold and reprimanding as he watched her struggle against her own dizziness to get off the floor.

"I'm sorry Hiei," She spoke softly as she leaned against the wall to stabilize herself, "But I don't understand why you are so upset with me, it's not like I did it on purpose."

"Hn," he replied as he turned and headed back to his room. When he turned, Sahara caught a glimpse of a long trail of stitches that led from his hairline to his chin.

"Hiei," She spoke softly, so that she wouldn't upset them. The fire demon gave an audible irritated sigh as he turned to face the raven haired princess once more. "What happened to you?"

What happened next completely astounded the fire demon as she moved closer to him and ran her index gently down the line of stitches. Her eyes focused intently on the scar as if she would do anything to bring down the person that had done this tome him. He was completely shocked that she had no recollection of what her other half had done to him during their battle, but he was not about to be the one to reveal it to her. He had no reason to trust the girl who stood before him, nor did he want to.

"Get away from me." He spoke coldly as he pushed against her shoulders, causing her to fall backwards into a small table, "You would do well to remember not to touch me from now on."

Sahara stood there hanging on to the small table for a moment, her head still spinning from the fire demons assault as she watched him stomp off in the direction towards his room. She pushed herself up slowly, wincing when she heard Hiei slam his door. She regained her balance and began to once again make her way to the kitchen, hoping that she would not have anymore run-ins with her teammates.

She slowly descended the stairs stepping down each one at a time, hoping that she wouldn't topple over. Her mind screamed against her for entering into an even brighter light, but her stomach won out that battle as the smell of a delicious meal entered her olfactory senses.

"Good morning everyone." She spoke quietly from behind the group, making all eyes fall upon her. Immediately everyone was upon her, as if they hadn't seen in a long time, showering her with hugs and slaps to the back. Their loud voices didn't exactly help her throbbing headache, but she was glad to know that they had worried about her and been kind enough to take care of her.

"I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY!" Kagami, being the loudest member of the group, screamed out over the rest of the voices, trapping Sahara in one of the biggest, tightest hugs that she could muster. "Princess, you had us so worried!"

"Kagami," she spoke softly, her bright amber eyes boring into Kagami's violet ones as she tried to pry Kagami's arms from around her neck, "How many more times must I tell you that I am not a princess anymore."

"At least once more your highness," Kagami said with a huge grin, "Old habits die hard, you know."

"So how are you feeling today, Sahara?" Kurama's soothing voice, full of concern for her well being asked her, as he led her to the nearest chair, Yukina moving to make her a plate of food.

"Well rested, which is something I haven't been in a long time," Sahara said quickly as she began to much on parts of the lunch before her, "But my head is throbbing and I don't really know why."

"Well, I should hope that you are well rested," Kuwabara said, his mouth still half full as he shoveled more food in, "You've been out for almost three days."

"Three days?" She nearly choked on her food, her head sending a shockwave through her body for making that ridiculous noise. "What do you mean I've been out for three days?"

"You don't remember what happened?" Kuwabara asked again, earning a smack to the back of the head from Yusuke, who was sitting to his left.

"You idiot, if she remembered she wouldn't have asked." Yusuke spat, cutting his eyes at his teammate who was about to tackle him. Kuwabara immediately backed off when seeing the looked that Yusuke was giving him and returned to shoveling food.

It was then that they went into a whole spill about the battle that went down between Sahara and Hiei three days ago. Kuwabara, who told the story in a very, colorful manner, made sure as not to leave out a single detail of Sahara's grand victory over Hiei and how she had mercilessly beaten him into the ground.

"And I would pay money to see that again," Kuwabara stated excitedly, Yusuke nodding his head in agreement.

"But why don't I remember any of that?" Sahara asked, obviously quite confused that she had been able to even land a punch on Hiei, let alone completely embarrass him like that in front of his friends.

"Sahara, you took a lot of trauma to your head while you fighting Hiei," Kurama said softly, obviously confused by her question, "It must have just interfered with your short term memory, you'll get it back in a few days."

"But Kurama," Sahara began again, her eyes threatening to fill with tears as she thought of embarrassing Hiei like that, "Why would I do such a thing? That's not like me at all."

"Well Sahara," Kurama thought for a moment, trying to find some way that he could explain what had happened to her," We don't really know what went on between the two of you. All we know is that he was torturing you, and you responded." Kurama stopped for a moment, waiting to see how she would take that news, "You did what anyone would have done in that situation, and we do not fault you for that."

"Kurama," she said quietly, leaning over onto Kagami's shoulder, "What do you mean you don't know what happened between us?"

"Well," He began again, his mind playing out the events of the battle in his head, "Apparently your powers are much greater than we could have ever imagined."

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused by the vagueness of his answer.

"What Kurama is trying to say, is that while Hiei was torturing you, your energy caused some really powerful super storm to appear around us," Yusuke told his version of what happened, his eyes never leaving Sahara's face, "None of us were hurt, so we know that you weren't after us."

"Sahara, why didn't you tell us that your powers were so immense?" Kurama asked, trying to figure out just what had happened the other day to this girl. The kitsune's mind mulled over the many things they had learned about her in such a short time, trying to make sense of the things she had gone through.

"I didn't know," She said, sitting up and looking at the other detectives, "My ancestors were strong, as was my father, but I have never shown the Toki strength in any of my training."

"So, you weren't trained to use any type of power at all?" Kurama asked, still confused that this girl had used such an immense power so effortlessly.

"No, I was taught to be a peace loving Princess, not a warrior." She said flatly, causing Kagami to giggle a bit at her tone of voice.

"And you have no recollection of using the powers ever before? Not at all?" Kurama pushed further and further, hoping to expose exactly what had happened to her so that they could work on it in their upcoming training.

"Well, isn't that what she just said?" Kagami, obviously growing tired of the Q and A session said rising to her feet, "Honestly Kurama, for someone who is so smart you really can be dense sometimes."

"So what do we do now?" Sahara asked, rising as well and shooting Kagami a death glare which made her instantly want to apologize to Kurama.

"I want you to stay here," Kurama said as he also got to his feet, "I am going to go and ask Koenma if he knows anything more about you that can help us."

"Thanks but no thanks," Sahara said flatly as she made her way to the back door, "I don't think I should stay here until I have my powers under control."

"But Sahara!" Yusuke jumped in front of her, trying to block her path, "You know it's not safe for you to be out there alone!"

"But think about it Yusuke," she said quickly, her entire body shaking out of anger and spite for the detective who had stood in her way, "What happens if I lose control again? What happens if next time I kill all of you? I don't want to go throughout the rest of my life with that on my conscious."

"Yeah, but Sahara," Yusuke began to protest, but he was silenced by her hand being placed over his mouth.

"I'm going for a walk, I need some time to think," She said flatly as she simply walked around him and out the door.

"Please Yusuke," Kagami said quietly, making her way over to the detective, "Don't hold it against her, she's had a hard life. She's lost everything important to her and she's afraid of losing us too."

"Kagami, she doesn't understand that we just want to help her," Yusuke said quietly, watching Sahara's figure moving away from them.

"She understands that fully, Yusuke," Kagami began to rub the detectives back, "However, she's afraid of what this power could do to us. She's suffered so much in her life and doesn't want to go through that again, even if it means putting herself in danger to protect us."

"Yeah, but…"

"This is just the way she is Yusuke, you must accept it." Kagami said, stopping the detective who was making his way closer to the door, "Give her time. Let her think. She will make the right decision, I know she will."

Sahara had been listening intently to what Kagami had been telling the detective as she had moved farther and farther away from them. Never before had she been so confused about everything that was going on in her life, or why it was happening the way it was. She walked through the thick covering of trees, hoping to find some shelter from the rain while she thought.

After a while, she sat down at the base of a large tree, tired, cold, and soaking wet, still contemplating exactly what it was she was supposed to do. Sahara sat for what seemed like hours to her, listening to the rain falling around her, hoping that some sort of answer would eventually come to her.

"Pitiful," was the only quiet word that came from the tree above her. She immediately glanced up, trying to find out exactly where it had come from.

"What do you want, Hiei," She said smirked, as she heard the demon drop down onto a lower branch.

"You really shouldn't leave," His voicing his opinion shocked Sahara a bit, making her turn her head so that she could look up at him. "They can help you."

"Hiei, I don't want them to get hurt," she said quietly, closing her eyes and listening to the rain falling around her.

"Look, they don't want you to leave," Hiei said quickly, as he dropped down beside her, "Personally I don't give a damn, but I know that if you leave, we will be sent on a mission to find you. Do me a favor and save me the trouble."

She looked over at him, staring into his crimson eyes, searching for the right words to say to him as she caught a glimpse of his injury. "Hiei, I didn't mean to…"

"Save your apologies," Hiei spat, obviously irritated that she had been staring at him, "I want to see that kind of power from You not that other half in the ring from now on." Before she could ask what he had meant by that comment he had darted off in the direction of the mansion, his boots slinging mud everywhere he went.

"What did he mean, other half?" She asked herself quietly as she made her way slowly back to the house, climbing up onto the roof and into her room quickly so that she would not be seen.

'Well, if he wants power, he'll get it," she thought to herself as she began focusing on trying to manipulate a penny that had been placed on the nightstand before her. 'I'll show them I can control these powers.'


	10. Chapter 9

"Sahara certainly has been spending a lot of time in her room over the last few days," Kurama sipped from his tea. It was true, she had only emerged twice since she had lost control of her powers. He had to admit, it was a little disturbing to remember just how tired she had looked, "I hope nothing is wrong with her."

Kagami smiled at him, noticing just how worried the kitsune was about her, "You have nothing to worry about, Kurama," Kagami said cheerily, pouring more tea into his cup, "If I know the Princess, she is in that room working non-stop trying to get those powers of hers under control."

"But, she is supposed to be training with us," Kurama interjected, stirring some extra sugar into the bland tea, "That's what we are here for, to help her."

"Kurama, let her do what she needs to." Kagami said again, trying to keep her short temper under control by wringing her hands in her lap, "She will do whatever necessary to make sure those things are under control."

"Still, it makes me worry," Kurama turned his gaze back to the stairs, hoping that Sahara would make her way down them at any minute, "She hasn't eaten in days."

"I'm telling you, she will be fine," Kagami said through her teeth, "Sahara knows her limits, she will come out when she's ready."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, with only the sounds of Kagami's spoon hitting the sides of the glass cup as she stirred in more sugar. She sipped at her tea, her eyes never leaving Kurama, still angry that he wouldn't take her word that Sahara would be fine. She wanted to help Sahara more than anyone, but she couldn't come up with a plan that she knew would take the princess's mind off of what had happened.

Kurama looked over at her for a moment, eyeing her suspiciously, wondering just what was going on in that brain of hers, "Well, what would you say if I was to want to help her?"

"What did you have in mind?" Kagami asked, intrigued by his change in tone of voice. "Come on Kurama, spill it."

"Well," Kurama checked around him and made sure no one was listening before leaning in and whispering the plan in Kagami's ear.

**With Sahara**

"Damn," she cursed audibly as she allowed the small cloud that she had formed overhead outside dissipate, letting the sun show through once more.

She closed he window dressings tightly so that no light could penetrate and flopped onto her bed, completely drained of any form of energy, her body crying out to her for rest. Never in her entire life had she been so focused on her energy for so long, and it was obvious that she was going to need much more training in that area.

However, on the positive side, she had managed to gain control over some of the smaller spirit moves that she had been taught by the Toki as a child. She flipped over onto her left side, pushing her long raven hair out of her face and concentrated on the room around her, her eyes focused on the clock. She held it there for a brief moment, sweat beginning to gather at her hairline, threatening to trickle down her cheek but the clock never switched over to the next minute. She smiled weakly at her accomplishments and allowed time to move once more as she flipped back onto her back, panting heavily.

"Well, maybe that will make up for what I did the other day," she mumbled to herself, her eyes threatening to close as he body cried out once more for sleep. But this time, there was something else that kept her from the sleep that she so desperately needed, the absolute ravenous hunger that now pained her stomach.

She grasped her abdomen tightly, waiting for the pain to pass, "Well, no sleep for now I guess," she said out loud to herself as she made her way to the hall bathroom, gathering her dark green bathrobe and other bath necessities as she went.

**Back Downstairs**

"Ok, so is everyone down with the plan?" Botan asked from the center of the circle. Everyone, who had been sitting discussing Kurama and Kagami's brilliant scheme all nodded their approval. All those except Hiei, who sat in the furthest corner of the room away from the entire group.

"But, why do I have to tell her?" Yukina asked from beside Kuwbara, her small hands clinched into tight balls as if she was nervous of the job that the team had given her.

"Well," Kagami said, draping her left arm over Yukina's shoulder making the ice apparition tense at the sudden touch, "From what I've seen in the short time I've been here, no one can say no to that cute little face." Kagami grinned widely and pinched Yukina's cheek, making a blush illuminate Yukina's normally pale skin.

"Yeah, Yukina," Botan said with a grin, "No one says no to you, besides, I think you are one of the few people in the house that Sahara actually trusts right now."

"Wait a minute you guys," Keiko interrupted the thoughts for a moment, "If we are going to go to this festival, shouldn't we have dates?" she asked, obviously getting some rather interesting glances from the male population in the room.

"Hey that's right!" Botan stopped Keiko before she could even continue her thought, "It's bad luck to go to the Spring Festival without dates!"

It was then that Yusuke began to slide out of the circle, trying his best to get away without being seen. He had always hated going to festivals of any kind, and this one would be no different. He had just made it to the door frame when a surprisingly strong grip halted his movement and dragged him back to the circle.

"Going somewhere, Yusuke?" Keiko's normally kind voice had suddenly become cold, as he chocolate brown eyes bore deeply into his.

"Well, you see, Keiko," Yusuke stuttered, desperately searching for any excuse to get him out of the lecture he was about to receive, "I was just going to make sure that my festival kimono was clean."

"Nice recovery man," Kuwabara whispered from beside him with a chuckle, earning a quick punch in the gut from the irritated detective.

"Well, it's obvious that Keiko has a date, and I'm sure that Kuwabara will be taking Yukina," Botan started, trying to figure out just who was going to go with who so that no one would be left out of the little excursion.

"You know it!" Kuwabara said loudly as he wrapped his arm protectively around Yukina, causing her to blush once more.

"Well, I'll go with Koenma so that we have enough guys for all of the girls," Botan stuttered out quickly, her cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink which earned a giggle from the girls.

"Sure that's why she's going with him," Kagami whispered to Keiko, before receiving a slap to the back of the head, causing her to fall forward into Kurama's lap making her blush a shade of bright red as she struggled back to her seat.

"So, I guess Hiei you can take Kagami, and Kurama you can take Sahara." Botan said with a smile, earning a glare from both Kagami and Hiei.

"Why do you think I want to go with him?" Kagami's voice quivered with anger as she tried her best to restrain the urge to strangle the blue hair reaper on the spot.

"Well, I should think you would volunteer for this position," Botan smirked evilly, obviously getting her revenge for Kagami's earlier statement, "You know that Sahara is not exactly comfortable being around Hiei at the moment, so I thought that her best friend would want to help her out."

'Damn,' Kagami cursed in her own head. She had realized that Botan was smart, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined the ditzy reaper to be so conniving. She stuck out her bottom lip, accepting her defeat, and made her way back to her spot between Yukina and Keiko.

"What makes you think that I will go?" Hiei spoke quietly from his corner, his gaze focused on Kuwabara's arm that was still draped over Yukina's shoulders.

"You have to go, Hiei," Kurama said, turning his gaze to the obviously furious fire demon, "We are still under contract with Koenma and it was a direct order, am I right Kagami?"

"Yeah!" Kagami nodded enthusiastically, "Koenma thought that it would be good to get Sahara out and doing things to keep her mind off everything that has happened over the last week." She grinned at Hiei, making him even more irritable, "So he made it an official order. We are to leave at seven!"

"Well, it's already five thirty! So you better get going Yukina!" Botan said as she pulled the ice maiden up and pushed her up the stairs.

**With Sahara**

"There is nothing in the world better than a good hot bath!" Sahara exclaimed to herself, obviously feeling much better now that she had rejuvenated herself in the bath. She pulled herself from the large marble tub and slipped into her green robe, cinching it tightly around her waist. She then wrapped her wet hair in a matching green towel and placed it atop her head, turban style.

Sahara glance at the mirror, that had become steamed up from the heat that had come off her bath water. She extended one finger and doodled the image of a large smiley face on it, instantly making a smile appear on hers. After she cleaned the mess off the mirror, she began to apply a little foundation to her pale skin, hoping to cover the dark circles that had formed under her eyes.

Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the door, shocking Sahara a bit. "It's open," she replied to the knock before turning back and finishing applying her base.

"Hello Sahara," Yukina's soft voice flowed into the bathroom, as she made her way over to the toilet and took a seat, "It's nice to see you are out of your room."

"Thank you, Yukina," Sahara flashed a small grin towards the aqua haired ice apparition, "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well," Yukina paused for a moment, trying to make sure that she got all of the information right, "I was wondering, if you would like to accompany me and the rest of the gang to the Spring Festival."

"No thanks, Yukina," Sahara said flatly, turning her gaze to the mirror to apply some eyeliner. "I'm sure you heard what happened the last time the guys and I were together, I don't want to do that again."

"Oh please, Sahara!" Yukina said a little louder this time, motioning for Sahara to sit down in front of her, "It will be a lot of fun for all of us to go together!"

"Yeah, but," Sahara stopped for a moment, enjoying the feeling of Yukina running her fingers through her wet hair.

"No buts, Sahara," Yukina giggled as she began to pull up the long raven locks, "Besides, Kurama is really looking forwards to taking you."

"Kurama?" Sahara's eyes went wide for a moment. She had never guessed they would stick her with Kurama and she knew that it meant Kagami would be a little miffed. "But why am I going with Kurama?"

"That's how Botan set it up," Yukina began placing small sakura blossoms into Sahara's hair, "She said something about not wanting you to be uncomfortable around Hiei, so she sent you with Kurama and Kagami with Hiei."

"Well then, I'll just have to go." Sahara said standing, gazing into the mirror at the job that Yukina had done on her hair.

Never before had she seen her hair arranged this way, two small pigtails on each side, holding up just a few strands of hair and both decorated with two sakura blossoms each. For something so simple, never had she seen anything as elegant, and it was all done in the span of two minutes. Sahara grinned at herself, putting on a little extra make-up since they were going out.

"Why? What made you changed your mind?" Yukina joined her at the mirror, helping her apply a light brown eye shadow to her lids.

"I've got to see how those two will handle each other," Sahara said with a light giggle causing Yukina to cock her head to the side, confused at what was so funny to the princess. "I want to see how long it takes before Hiei bites Kagami's head off. In case you haven't noticed, Yukina, Hiei doesn't like Kagami all that much."

"You know what, you're right!" Yukina cheered as the two girls made their way to Sahara's room, Yukina instantly going into the well stocked closet, "Hiei will probably just slip away from her and go sit in one of his trees."

The two of them shared a giggle as Yukina delved through the endless supply of clothes that had been provided for Sahara. Sahara marveled as pile after pile of clothes appeared on her floor, she began to realize just how badly Koenma had been trying to apologize to her.

Before she could even complete that thought, Yukina gave a very soft, barely audible gasp as she held up a cross between a kimono and a dress. Sahara took the dress from the ice apparition hands and held it up to her body, checking herself in the mirror. The dress, was a deep blood red reaching the floor with a long slit in the side that went just up to Sahara's mid-thigh. Sahara found upon closer inspection of the dress that it was lined with a very elaborate gold pattern that spanned the dress.

She turned and grinned at the still stunned apparition, "It's perfect, Yukina."

**Meanwhile**

"Honestly, what is taking those girls so long?" Botan asked impatiently, tapping her foot while simultaneously glancing at the clock for the fiftieth time in the past ten minutes, "Don't they realize that we are going to be late!"

"Really, Yusuke," Keiko fussed as she pulled Yusuke's head down to her level, "Couldn't you have done something a little different to your hair?" She asked as she pushed some of the thickly gelled hair to the side.

"Why should I?" Yusuke jerked back, fixing his hair back to it's original state, "Hiei didn't even have to change his clothes, Keiko, that's not fair!" The detective pouted much like an overgrown child, earning a chuckle from Hiei.

"I, unlike you detective, am not a slave to a woman," Hiei spat, causing Yusuke to glare in his direction.

"Oh really? Because I seem to remember a certain red-headed demoness who would…" Yusuke stopped abruptly, feeling to cold blade of Hiei's katana pressing against his neck.

"You should stop there detective, if you value your life." Hiei said coolly, as if he was not moments away from killing one of his partners.

However, they were interrupted by the sounds of feet coming down the staircase. Everyone's eyes instantly fell on the now extremely made up Sahara, who was making her way slowly down the stairs behind Yukina. Kurama's face instantly lit up with a bright blush as he watched her come expertly down the stairs, gracefully, as if she was coming into some sort of grand ball.

"Well, what's everyone staring at?' Sahara spoke first, causing everyone to tear their eyes from her, embarrassed that they had indeed been staring, "Let's go see what this festival is all about!"


	11. Chapter 10

The different shades of colors at the brilliantly lit park took Sahara completely by surprise as she stepped from the vehicle she had been traveling in. Being raised a princess, she had been to many a formal affair in her day, but never had she seen so many beautiful things gathered in one place at one time.

The people entertained her the most, all dressed in the finest kimonos they could afford and parading around looking at the different games and shops they would come to along the path. Even the children were playing in fine kimonos, many running up and down the streets, begging their parents to let them play just one more game.

"It's funny, isn't it Kagami?" Sahara whispered quietly to her long-time friend, who had been straggling behind the pack with her.

"What's that?" Kagami partially giggled as a small child ran full force into her, bowed apologetically, and took off in the direction again, never falling to far behind the older child he was chasing.

"How something so noisy, can be so peaceful at the same time," Sahara smiled at one of the vendors as the group made their way by. "I mean, look at these people. They aren't royalty, yet here they are in their finest clothes celebrating much like they were."

"It's true," Kagami dropped her voice a bit, hoping the group wouldn't be able to hear their conversation, "They remind me very much of the people back home, you know?" Kagami's voice suddenly became very sullen as she tore her face away from Sahara's.

"Back home…" Sahara repeated to herself softly, casting her eyes to the ground and hoping that no tears would come. It was the first time she had felt homesick since she had moved in with the boys, but just the mention of it brought all the pain back in full force. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she quickly wiped them away, hoping none of their group had seen.

However, Kurama had seen and heard everything. "Is everything alright, Sahara?" He asked, dropping back so that he could walk beside his date for the evening.

A faint blush crept across Sahara's cheeks when she noticed that the entire group was staring at her. "I'm fine Kurama, just a little dirt in my eyes." She replied with a bright smile, hoping that the gang would buy that awful excuse.

"Well, I guess we can split off now, if you guys don't mind." Botan cheered enthusiastically, and seeing as there were no objections began to drag Koenma off in the direction of the most expensive games on the street.

"Don't forget to meet at the entrance to the park when you guys are done Botan!" Keiko called out and after receiving a thumbs up from the reaper and the prince, the rest of the gang split off, leaving Sahara and Kurama alone.

"Well, Sahara," Kurama started, causing Sahara's thoughts to return to the situation on hand. "Is there anything that you would like to do?"

"I don't really know, Kurama," she replied, watching the way that Kurama was gazing at her, as if he were hanging on her every word, "I haven't been to one of these things in quite some time." A mental image of the last festival she attended in the Toki flashed before her eyes but she buried it for now, she knew she could relive the joy she had felt later.

"Well, how about a game?" Kurama asked as he pulled his change purse from the pocket of his dark green kimono and ushered Sahara towards the closest game booth where the vendor held up three darts.

After handing him the exact change, Kurama took the darts and squared up to the target, taking careful aim at the small object before him. "The object is to hit the center of the target, if you can do that, you win a prize." Kurama explained as he closed one eye, hoping that would improve his aim.

Sahara stared at him for the longest time, amazed by his amusement in this game. 'Couldn't he just use his demon powers to win the game?' she thought to herself as she watched him make the first shot and miss. She grinned when he made his second shot and missed again, knowing that he would never cheat at this small game, he was to good for that.

"Sorry sir," The vendor said as he quickly removed the darts from the board, after Kurama's final failed attempt to hit the target, "Better luck next time. Perhaps your date would like to try." He said quickly, turning his attentions to you and pushing the three darts into your face, "Surely a pretty lady like you would be an excellent dart thrower.

Sahara stared at the three darts for a moment, and then flashed a smile at the vendor. "Sure I will try." She turned to Kurama, who was already fishing out the change from his change purse.

"Excellent," the man said merrily as he counted the change and place it safely in his apron, "Here are your darts."

"May I make a request?" Sahara's question shocked the man a bit, but he eventually nodded after a moment, "May I use the dark green darts?"

The balding vendor smiled brightly at Sahara as he fished through his collection of darts and obtained three dark green ones. "Here you are, my lady, and best of luck to you!" He cheered as he stepped quickly out of the way, so that Sahara could have a clean shot.

"Why the dark green ones?" Kurama asked her as he watched her shuffle her feet apart so that they were just at shoulder's width.

"Think of them more as a lucky charm." Sahara grinned towards the confused kitsune and brushed a piece of her long hair away from her face.

Then she closed her eyes, suddenly becoming much more aware of the rhythm of her own heart beat, the pace of her breathing, and even the slight direction the wind was giving to the air around her. 'Ok Sahara, relax.' she mentally chanted to herself as she opened her eyes once more, focusing on the small paper target in front of her. 'Remember it's just like shooting a bow and arrow, only with a small arrow and a much smaller target.'

She grinned at the vendor, who's slightly yellow teeth were grinning back at her, intrigued by the lengths this costumer was going to so that she could win one of his dollar store prices. Before he could even look back to the target three light hits could be heard on the paper target. He jerked around to see all three of her dark green darts, lined almost perfectly right down the center of the target.

"WE HAVE A WINNER!!!" The vendor shouted excitedly as he leapt about around his stand, ringing his brassy bell.

"Well done, Sahara," Kurama said with a pat to her back as he looked over the prizes with her, "There is quite a selection at this booth."

"Kurama, which one do you think Kagami would like?" Sahara asked as she held up to options for him to review. In one hand, she held a furry pink dog, with magenta spots. In the other, a lavender teddy bear with violet eyes.

"The purple one of course," Kurama said quickly as he watched Sahara hand the dog back to the vendor who smiled brightly once more at them, "But Sahara, this prize was supposed to be for you."

"I know that, Kurama," Sahara said with a giggle as his green eyes became flooded with confusion at her statement, "But, Kagami has helped me more than she or anyone else will ever know. Therefore, when I can get something for her I usually do. Besides, stuffed animals are more her thing, not mine." They both shared a soft laugh as she link arms with him and began making their way down the path, admiring the beautifully adorned booths as they went.

"SAHARA! KURAMA!" A squealing voice called to them, as the turned around to see a tall mass of purple moving towards them at unimaginable speeds. "Can I walk with you guys?" A now breathless Kagami asked, her face tinged pink from the cool air that she had been running so hard in. "Hiei's disappeared and I don't want to look for him." Her usual cheerful voice at once became hard, a very definite scowl appearing on the features of her face.

"Oh really?" Sahara said in mock surprise, her amber eyes turning to Kurama, who was attempting to act shocked as well. "Please, Kagami, do tell."

"That impudent shrimp had the audacity to call me a baka. ME A BAKA!" she said making sure to enunciate every syllable of the last statement, her face now glowing a deep crimson, her anger very apparent not only in her face, but in her mannerisms as well.

"Well, maybe this will help you to feel better," Sahara said quickly as she pulled the bear from behind her back, pushing it towards Kagami.

"AWWW, IT'S SO CUTE!" She squealed as she grabbed the bear and held it tightly in her arms, "Thank you Sahara, I will always treasure it." She squeezed it so hard Sahara was shocked to see it's tiny eyes didn't pop out of it's head.

"Well you two, how about we try to win a goldfish? This is a very popular game here you know," Kurama said quickly as he escorted the two girls over to a booth were multicolored fish swam in the tanks in front of the vendor.

"I would like to try, please," Kagami said cheerily as she handed the young girl her money, and grasped the small paper net tightly in her hands. "Sahara, this is just like a game we used to have at home, remember?" Kagami asked cheerily as she successfully lifted a bright orange goldfish into the air, but sighed when the net broke and the fish swam back to the deepest part of the tank.

"Sorry ma'am, better luck next time!" The brunette behind the tank said timidly as she began to prepare another net for the next costumer.

"Wait, could you hand me another net please?" Kurama asked quickly as he put the correct change on the counter, "Here you go Kagami I'll show you."

Sahara watched in amazement as Kurama took the net and gently placed it in the water, giving Kagami specific directions every step of the way. Sahara smiled at the picture before her as she remembered a very similar situation that had happened to her a very long time ago.

Flashback

"Oh Daddy! Look at the fish!" A very excited little girl pressed her smiling face up against the tank, her amber eyes staring into the tank, watching the fish swim calmly back and forth. "May I try?" she asked the vendor of stand who stood over four feet taller than her. 

"I tell you what, little Princess," the vendor said as he began to fish through his belongings for a net, "For you, the first play is free." The orange skinned demon placed the net into the child's small hands, "Careful now, that net is very fragile."

However, the child's enthusiasm could not be dampened as she quickly dipped her net into the tank, viciously swirling the net around chasing after a large bright green fish. To her surprise and amusement, the fish was easily caught and she lifted it high above the tank, seeking approval from her father.

"Look Daddy! I caught one!" she cheered excitedly as she moved to put the fish into her small bag. However, before she could even get the bag to her net, the fish flopped hard one time, causing the delicate paper net to break and the fish to fall back into the tank.

"Oh no," the young child's amber eyes filled with tears, "The fish go away," she sniffed, attempting to prevent herself from crying.

"Now now, Sahara," King Iniko's deep voice soothed his daughters tears, as he placed his large hand on her head, "Don't cry, you just tried to move the net to fast." He said quickly as he wiped a few tears from his daughter's eyes before handing the vendor the correct change for another game, "I would like one fishing net please."

"Yes, my lord," The man stuttered out as he began searching frantically for a net, as if he was worried about keeping the king waiting to long. When he returned with the net he bowed and handed it to the king, causing the king to beam down at him.

"Now, Sahara," King Iniko's soft blue eyes fell upon his daughter's face, who looked up at him in wonder, "Sit here on my lap and I'll explain how you should have done it."

He quickly took her tiny hands into his larger ones and very cautiously dipped the net into the water, so that he would not disturb the fish that were below his hands. Then, he slowly maneuvered the net over to the same green fish that Sahara had caught early. He slipped the net under it and gently hoist it out of the water and into the small bag, causing his daughter to begin bouncing in his lap with excitement.

"Congratulations little Princess on your wonderful new pet!" The vendor cheered as he placed a shimmering green ribbon around the top of the bag.

"Hey Kagami!" Sahara cheered as she dashed away from the towering figure of her father, "Look at what I just won!"

End Flashback

"Hello? Is anybody in there?" Was the first few words that broke into Sahara's mind as she saw her best friend waving her hand in front of her face, "Check out what Kurama helped me win!" she cheered, lifting the small plastic bag to Sahara's line of sight.

Sahara grinned when she saw five small fish teaming within the plastic bag. She flashed a bright smile in Kurama's direction when a small violet fish caught her eye, which caused the kitsune to blush about five different shades of red.

"They are lovely Kagami," Sahara's voice was cheerful, but she knew that she just needed to be alone for a while, "Would you guys mind if I went off for a little walk?"

"Not at all Sahara," Kurama said, giving her a quick hug, "Just make sure you are back at the meeting place after the fireworks, ok?" He said before Kagami forced him to another game booth.

She grinned as she watched the two of them leave, but as soon as they were out of sight, the smile quickly faded and tears filled her eyes once more. She never thought that coming to a festival would remind her of her father. Not only did the memories of the good times come back, but the memories of the last time she had seen him came back as well. She allowed a few tears to fall as she quickly made her way into a small alcove of trees, taking a seat on the edge of the hill that was overlooking the festival.

She dried the few tears that had fallen from her eyes as she had been running and looked up into the sky. She heaved an audible sigh and flopped down on the wet ground, allowing the dampness to soak through her clothes. Her eyes turned to the sky as she thought of the kind man she had known as father for so many years. She lifted her hand to the sky and parted the few small clouds that were there, allowing the moon and stars to show through in all their glory, which made her giggle a bit.

'Oh, if only he could see me now,' she thought to herself as the picture of her father holding her in his lap and teaching her how to play the game flooded her mind once more.

"You know, it's foolish to lay on such a damp ground." Hiei's voice came from the tree behind her. She cocked her head back in time to see him jump down from his makeshift sanctuary and begin coming towards her.

"Hello, Hiei, are you enjoying the festival?" She asked cheerily as she sat up so that she could get a better look at all the twinkling lights below her.

"Festivals aren't really my thing, in case you hadn't noticed," He retorted, taking a seat about ten feet away from her, as if he feared she might try to bite him if he sat to close.

"Come on Hiei," She said gesturing out to the scene before them, "Surely even you think this is beautiful."

"Well, if it was so wonderful, why did you leave?" Hiei asked, a bit annoyed that she had intruded on his solitude.

"I just needed to get away for a bit, you know clear my head and think. Don't you ever need to do that?" Hiei simply gave an audible grunt and Sahara turned her gaze back to the festival. She couldn't help but replay the memory of her father over and over again, it had, after all, been a very happy time in her life. Now she was here, sitting with the most anti-social of their entire group and she was loving every moment of silence he allowed her to have.

However, soon the silence was broken by a thunderous roll as a bright light burst into the sky, causing a sea of pink and red to shower through the sky. Sahara became so engrossed with the beauty of the firework show that she never noticed Hiei slip away from her. Once the last firework had been fired, a loud cheer erupted from the crowds below and Sahara trotted off to meet the rest of the gang at the meeting place.

"There you are!" Yusuke shouted to Sahara as she made her way quickly down the stairs from the cliff, "We were wondering were you had gotten to!" He said jokingly giving a slight nudge to her ribcage.

"So did you have fun Sahara?" Keiko asked as she took a bite of what appeared to Sahara to be colored cotton on a stick, "Was it nice to get out of the house?"

"Yes, I had a lovely time," Sahara turned her head to the side a bit, gazing at the pink mass of fluff that was before her, "What is this?"

"It's cotton candy silly, try some!" Keiko said as she pushed the candy towards her. Sahara tore off a small piece as Keiko had done earlier and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes widened when she felt the soft mass dissolve on her tongue, her taste buds enjoying every minute of the sweet flavor.

"Well, everyone, it's time to go." Sahara cut her eyes at Koenma, obviously still showing her distrust for him but walked quickly through the portal behind her friends so that he could not seal the two of them off somewhere in an attempt to talk to her.

Sahara arrived quietly behind Keiko and said goodnight to everyone on the team, hoping to get out of the office before Koenma arrived. She made her way briskly down the hallway toward her room, her mind drifting to Hiei as she passed his and how he had not been at the meeting place when they had left.

"He can take of himself," she muttered under her breath as she opened her door, "All I want is my nice, warm bed," she made her way over to the dresser to turn on the lamp, taking down her hair and kicking off her shoes as she went.

When she flipped on the lamp, the sight of a small glass bowl against it caught her eye. Inside it was one small fish, a green one swimming back and forth in it's small home. She started in utter shock for a few moments at the fist, almost thinking that her tired mind had dreamed him up. But there he was, and her mind traveled over the possibilities of who could have done this for her. She knew that Kagami and her father were the only ones who knew of that memory, and well, neither of them could have done it.

Then her mind drifted towards a certain fire demon who had disappeared from the group and never come back. She remembered how, no matter how hard she had tried to push the memory aside, it kept replaying in her head while he was around. She pushed her face closer to the small fish, as if hoping he would give her the answers to her questions.

"But, how could he have known?" she whispered to the fish, as she watched it's green body swimming quickly in the bowl.


	12. Chapter 11

"You really are quite a pretty little fish, you know," Sahara spoke softly to the fish, trying to keep anyone else on the hall from hearing her. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, and yet here she was fully awake as she had been for the past to hours.

She sighed heavily and flipped all the way over onto her side, tracing her finger along the glass bowl, 'It's official: I have no life. I'm so bored I'm talking to a fish.' She giggled as images of her home once again flooded her memory as they had so many times the night before.

However, before she could relive some of the wonderful memories, Botan burst through the door into her room, startling her so much that she nearly fell off her bed.

"SAHARA!" Botan screamed as she violently ripped the blankets off of the still groggy princess, "Come on! Get up! Koenma wants the entire team in his office. You only have two minutes!" She shouted again and dashed from the room almost as quickly as she had come.

Sahara heaved a huge sigh as she began pulling her hair into a messy ponytail, just so she could keep it out of her face, "So much for being bored," she muttered to herself as she dashed from the room and right into the leader of the spirit detective team, who was attempting to put on his pants as he ran.

"OH YUSUKE!" Sahara cried as she reached down to pull him up, trying not to look down at his bright green boxers, "I am so sorry!"

"Wow," Yusuke chuckled as he rubbed his now slightly bruised ribcage, "For someone that's so small, you sure do pack on hell of a hit!"

The comment made Sahara shoot a mock glare at his grin, and the chuckle as the two of them made their way down the dim hallway towards Koenma's office. Yusuke continued to struggle with random pieces of clothing the whole way, but easily made it to the large oak doors and under the time limit.

"What has happened?" Kurama asked as soon as the two entered the doors, his usually tame a hair, a mass of red curls on his head.

"I don't know, I figured Koenma would have mentioned something to you guys since you were here already." Yusuke whispered to his teammate, trying not to chuckle at the state of his hair, as he made his way to his seat.

"I was actually getting to that," Koenma turned around to face the team, holding some sort of video tape in his hand. He turned his face to Sahara, who was standing very tensely behind Yusuke, as if she were about to bolt from the room at any second. "Sahara, are you going to stay this time?"

"I will stay," She retorted, a hard glare settling upon her tense features, "But only for the benefit of Yusuke and the others, your highness." She said with an intense smirk as she mock bowed to him.

"Is this really how things are going to be from now own?" He asked her causing the four other boys eyes to turn to her, waiting for her reply.

"Don't you have some mission for us to go on?" Sahara spat, obviously upset that he had decided to ask such a personal question in front of the team, "Deal with your personal problems later, Koenma, I think the situation at hand requires immediate attention."

"Right," Koenma cast his eyes down for a moment, his chocolate gaze staring at the tape in his hand, "Well, as you all know, the Dark Tournament is fast approaching us once more." He stood from his seat and moved to put the video in the VCR, "This arrived just a few moments ago, addressed to the Urameshi team."

"That's it?" Yusuke was now standing, his fingernails digging into the wood of Koenma's desk, "You woke us up at five in the morning for us to watch some stupid video that we could watch anytime?"

"That's not it, Yusuke," Koenma said calmly, obviously trying to the apparently livid Yusuke from blowing a hole in his ceiling, again, "This came from the Queen of Spirit World herself, I thought that it might interest you."

The Spirit Detectives eyes went wide for a moment as he stared at the screen that was now softly buzzing before him. Slowly, he turned his gaze back to the apparently shocked girl behind him, chocolate eyes meeting amber ones for a brief moment in time, as if he were asking, inaudibly, if they should continue.

"Well, let's see what she has to say." Sahara said quietly as she took as seat in between Kurama and Hiei. Koenma nodded his head slowly, happy that she was willing to cooperate and pressed played on the VCR.

"Greetings, Koenma, Detectives" Mukuro's eerily cool voice flowed from the speakers into the room, instantly sending a chill up Sahara's spine. She glared at the woman who's face now spread across the screen as if Mukuro could actually see her.

"As you all know, the Dark Tournament is fast approaching us once again, and as the new queen of the Makai, I find it is my duty to ensure that my subjects are entertained." She laced her fingers and placed them into her lap, her mechanical eye whirring around in it's socket as if searching for some one to focus on.

"That is why I am inviting your team to participate." There was an immediate stiffening in the bodies throughout the room and Mukuro had instinctively paused on the tape, as if she knew there would be some resistance. "This is not mandatory for any of the team members except, Hiei and Princess Sahara."

Her usually emotionless face became painted with a smirk as she turned her gaze to Sahara and Hiei, like she knew exactly where they would be seated in Koenma's office. "Now, if I know Hiei, he is already trying to find a way out of this." Mukuro's mechanical eye immediately settled on gazing at the spot where Hiei sat. "Well, Hiei, let me just tell you that if you don't show up a certain ice apparition will be punished severely for your actions."

Sahara watched as Hiei's fist became clinched very tightly in his lap beside her. She allowed her mind to wander for a few moments as she contemplated who this person could be and why Hiei was so protective over them. However, it wasn't long before Mukuro's eye settled on the spot where she sat.

Mukuro smirked at Sahara, "Koenma, I'm awaiting your favorable reply, and Princess Sahara," She spoke quietly to you, a smile overshadowing her smirk, "Do bring that sweet little Kagami won't you?" And with that the screen instantly went off, turning back to a scene of fuzz one more.

"Well that was interesting," Yusuke said quickly as he leaned back in his chair, placing his feet on Koenma's desk.

"Yes, but why would she want to see you, Hiei?" Sahara asked as she turned her gaze from the screen to the fire demon who sat silently beside her. His eyes widened for a moment as he stared down into her soft face, but then instantly tore himself away from her gaze, ashamed of the pain that he had caused her so long ago.

"That is none of your concern now, Sahara," Kurama spoke quickly from the other side of the Princess, instantly drawing her attention away from Hiei, "The question is: What do we do now?"

"Well, I say you have to go." Koenma said quietly, instantly earning glares from Yusuke and Hiei, and very disapproving looks from the rest of the team, "Think about it. It's the only way we can defend the girls. Who knows what Mukuro would send after us if you don't go."

"Wait, the ice apparition, Mukuro was talking about Yukina?" Sahara was finally able to piece things together and earned some very odd looks from the rest of the team.

"Hey she's right!" Kuwabara said as he instantly stood and began to pace the room, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he thought long and hard about Mukuro's statement to Hiei.

"But why would she use Yukina as a way to get to Hiei?" Sahara asked, obviously trying to get to the bottom of this little mystery much like her larger teammate.

"OH MY GOD!!!" Kuwabara screamed out, instantly making Sahara grabbed her sensitive ears at the explosive sound, "You and Yukina were 'together' in the past weren't you?"

"That would definitely explain why he's always following her around," Sahara nodded her head in agreement.

"Well, tough nuts shorty!" Kuwabara exclaimed as he made his way to the door, "You can't have her now! Yukina is my girlfriend and she will never be yours again!" And with that the overly large spirit detective bursts through the large oak doors, dashing for the residential part of the palace.

"Idiot," Hiei whispered quietly beside Sahara, which made her instantly doubt her initial agreement with Kuwabara.

"Well, your binkiness, what do we do now?" Yusuke asked loudly, causing Sahara to giggle slightly at the red coloring that was beginning to take over Koenma's face.

"Actually, no Yusuke," Koenma tried his best to hide his anger for the leader of the team as he gave out the next assignment, "There is another mission, one that requires special attention from You as well as Sahara."

"Why me?" Yusuke protested, kicking his heels on Koenma's desk, making a large pile of dirt fall from his shoes onto the paperwork that lay there.

"Well, I was going to send Hiei and Sahara," Koenma cut his eyes at the detective, his face settling on a hardened scowl as he tried to brush away some of the dirt, "However, after your behavior in here this morning, I've decided to send you."

"What exactly is this mission about?" Sahara giggled while Yusuke mumbled profanities under his breath, instantly earning an even harder glare from the prince of spirit world.

"It's nothing but an information scout. I want you to return to Nero's palace and search for any clues as to why you were able to use those powers there. I think, if we could find the source it may help us better understand your powers." Koenma said quickly as he leaned into the speaker on his desk, ordering a portal for Nero's palace.

"Well that sounds boring," Yusuke whispered to Sahara, allowing Koenma to hear his disapproval of this mission, "Why can't we be sent on something a little more fun for a change?"

"Yusuke!" Koenma shouted, instantly making Yusuke snap to attention, nearly falling out of his chair, "Get your feet off my desk and get moving! NOW!" Koenma's voice boomed instantly making the two of you head off toward the residential hall to get ready.

"Hiei, I have a special mission for you," Koenma said quickly as he handed Hiei a small box, with a tiny microphone on the inside.

"What's this?" Kurama asked as he lifted it high into the air, inspecting the tiny piece of technology.

"This my friend is the actual mission, Yusuke's mission is just a decoy," Koenma smirked towards the two demons who looked shocked that he would try something so under handed against his own team.

"But why Koenma?" Kurama asked, handing the microphone back to Hiei.

"Simple. Sahara is hiding things from us, I know she is. I know this seems bad, but the only way to help her is to know everything about her." Koenma stopped for a moment and wiped the rest of the mud from his desk, "And since she won't tell us, we'll have her tell Yusuke, and this little baby will send everything she says back to us."

"Well, I want no part of this." Hiei said as he tossed the microphone back to Koenma, "If you want this mission done, you have to do it yourself." With that, he quickly exited the room.

"Kurama?" Koenma turned a hopeful eye to the emerald gaze of the smartest of the team members.

"I'll do it. But only because I want to help Sahara," Kurama sighed, obviously feeling guilty about bugging one of his friends.

"Good, now go quickly!" Koenma said as he began to stamp paperwork once more, "The portal should be arriving at any moment.

"KURAMA!" Kuwabara's raspy voice echoed down the hallways of the mansion, "COME SAY GOODBYE TO YUSUKE AND SAHARA!"

Kurama dashed into the room, to see the group huddled in the center, near a swirling portal. He looked from the saddened looks of the girls to Hiei, who was glaring at him, obviously shocked that the fox, who had always been one of the most honest in their group, was about to bug this girl.

"Come on Kurama!" Yusuke said cheerily, pushing Sahara towards him, "Say goodbye now!"

Kurama looked at Sahara's blushing face for a moment and leaned down and wrapped her up in a hug, placing the bug on the collar of her shirt. When he pulled away, he couldn't look into her innocent face. Even though he knew he was doing it for her own good, he couldn't help but feel he had betrayed her.

"LET'S GO SAHARA!" Yusuke cheered as he drug the stunned princess into the vortex.

Sahara managed to let out a high pitched wail just before the two of them hit the ground. She stood for a moment taking in her surroundings, obviously shocked that they hadn't landed right outside Nero's palace.

"KOENMA! JUST WHERE THE HELL ARE WE?" Yusuke screamed into his compact before she could even ask.

"Well, you said you wanted things more interesting, so I dropped you off here so that you could get used to fighting demons again. Shouldn't take more than a day or so to walk to Nero's Palace." Koenma said with an evil grin and a peace sign before disappearing from the screen.

"Well, I guess we may as well get moving." Sahara said quickly as she pulled the detective quickly into the deep forest, leading him towards Nero's palace.


	13. Chapter 12

"DAMN SAHARA!" Yusuke cried out as he tossed a small, scaly green demon into the tree next to him, "You never said anything about these little demons!"

"Yusuke," Sahara said calmly as she easily disarmed another and instantly knocked him out with a swift kick to the back of his head, "I may know my way around this place, but I don't know every little thing about it. How was I supposed to know they had set up there home here?"

"Fine," Yusuke said as he cut a path through some of the thicker foliage as the two of them made there way deeper into the forest, the dew flinging onto Sahara's skin as they went, making her shiver lightly.

"Sahara," Yusuke paused for a moment as the reached a clearing, stabbing his machete into the ground and plopping down beside it, "Could we set up camp? We've been fighting all day!" He ground as he propped himself up against a tree.

"Why, Yusuke Urameshi," Sahara said in a voice reminiscent of the women of years past, "I do believe you are getting soft. " She chuckled at the glare that he had set upon her, "It pains me to think of what Master Genkai would say if she could see you now."

"Well, if you are just going to stand here and make fun of me, could I at least go and find us something to eat? I'm STARVING." He drew out the last word, hoping to pain the princess enough into letting him go. It was true that he had been complaining a lot, but he could not ignore the pain in his stomach, even if he knew it was a risk to leave her alone in the woods.

"Very well, Yusuke." She spoke diligently as she made her way past him and easily pulled herself into a tree. "You handle the food part, I'll see what I can do to get a fire started."

Before she could even blink, the grinning detective shot off in the opposite direction, heading towards what sounded like a small creek flowing nearby. She sighed at his enthusiasm and began stripping some of bark from the tree, knowing that while it was still very moist that it would make excellent fuel once she got a blaze going. After gather a good bit of bark, she hopped out of the tree and began to scour the ground for any sort of kindling she may use for their fire.

Once making an effective tent of the kindling and nursing the fire up to a roar, Sahara lay back against the trunk of the nearest tree, contemplating the events of the last few months. Just as she began to doze off, a loud thumping noise made it's way towards her.

"HONEY!!!" Yusuke cried out as he skidded into their makeshift campsite, nearly toppling over Sahara's extended legs, "I'm HOME!"

Sahara opened on eyelid fully, exposing her glowing amber eye to the detective, "Yusuke, do you think it wise to announce that so loudly? Especially when it's almost certain that Mukuro is aware we are here?" She shot at him, before turning her gaze to the starry sky above them.

"Goodness, what's got you in such a bad mood?" The detective question, secretly beginning his mission as he began spearing his catch of fish with small sticks and placing the over the fire.

"I've just been thinking a lot that's all," Sahara replied flatly as she turned to watch his feeble attempts to spear the fish, effectively stabbing himself three times. "You know, for Koenma's team leader, you sure can be dense."

"Damn, Sahara, can you honestly be anymore ill?" Yusuke pouted as he moved away from the princess who was now effortlessly performing the job he had tried so hard to do.

"I'm sorry Yusuke," She spoke quietly as she sat the fish just slightly over the fire, the scent instantly filling the area setting her on guard against hungry scavengers who were looking for an easy meal.

"Why are you so ill anyway?" Yusuke asked, this time hoping that she would actually give out some information that Koenma could use.

"Think about it Yusuke," Sahara said quietly, her eyes never leaving the fire, "This may not be my home, but it is pretty close to where my kingdom once was. Don't you think that would bring up some very painful memories for me?"

"Well, I wouldn't know," Yusuke placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to turn her gaze to him, "I don't know anything about you. You never say much about your past, so spill, I'm all ears." He grinned broadly at the stunned princess and rubbed his ears, causing her to giggle.

"Koenma didn't tell you?" She asked, trying to regain her composure.

"Nah," Yusuke said, moving closer to the fire, "Koenma doesn't tell us anything. He just told us that you supposedly took your life after watching the destruction of your people." He saw her expression drop at the mention of this unpleasant fact, "Kurama has asked about it several times, but he completely avoids the subject."

"Figures that he would. He's not proud of what he did to me….and my people." Her voice dropped to a near whisper as she turned her gaze to the sky above them, trying to prevent the tears that were now rapidly filling her eyes from spilling over and down her creamy white cheeks.

The two sat in silence for another moment or so, her eyes never leaving the sky above, his never leaving her. She allowed the memories of that day, that she had so long repressed into a dark and desolate part of her mind, to resurface hoping that she could make more sense of his actions now than she could then. Her breath became shallow, as she began to lose the battle with the emotions that were now swelling up inside her chest.

"Well, Yusuke," she finally managed to choke out, causing the detectives chocolate eyes to fixate on her face, growing wide at the sight of a few stray tears flowing down her cheeks. "I was born in the land of the Toki to King Iniko and Queen Layla. The Toki were a very peaceful people, and our kingdom thrived under my father's rule. On the day of my birth, kings and queens from the kingdoms surrounding us came to celebrate my coronation as the crown princess of the Toki."

"Wait a second….women could rule there? Without a man?" The detective asked, apparently shocked that a demon community would allow of female to rule over them.

"Yes, women could rule there. In fact, my Great-Grandmother, Queen Masumi, was one of the most respected rulers of all the Toki. She was a very strong woman who led the Toki to many victories against their enemies. She ruled for thirty two years after the death of her husband and she never lost a battle to anyone." Sahara's voice became a little more upbeat as she told this tale of the woman she had never met, but so long admired.

"Sounds like one bad-assed chick," Yusuke pondered out loud.

Sahara chuckled a bit, "Actually, from what I've seen of Keiko so far, they share a lot of the same qualities. You better keep your eye out." She laughed again seeing the color begin to fade from her partners face.

"So, you were saying?" He asked, obviously wanting to push those thoughts completely away from his mind.

"Well, my father began training me to harness my spirit energy when I was three years old, and I trained until I was five." She stopped for a moment, grief once again flooding throughout her entire body.

"What happened when you were five?" Yusuke knew she was starting to get to the very things that Koenma wanted to hear, so he knew that he had to push her onward. He hated that he was doing something so underhanded to a girl as nice as Sahara, but he wanted to help her, and Koenma had assured him this would help her.

"My mother died mysteriously and all of my training of the use of time and space was halted indefinitely, because my father thought it appropriate to begin grooming to take over the throne since he was getting on in years," She turned to him for a moment, sadness still swimming in her bright amber eyes.

"Well, that definitely explains how you got to where you are, but you didn't answer my question," Yusuke said quickly as he pulled the fish from the fire and greedily began to eat one, not caring how bad his tongue burned, "Why do you hate Koenma so much?"

She froze for a moment, her gaze meeting his as she realized he had figured out her scheme to keep him from figuring out what he didn't need to know. She sighed as she took a small bite of a fish for herself, trying to think of what she needed to say to him to satisfy him and what could be left out.

"Well, as I've said before, he abandoned me, my father, and all of my people in our most desperate hour." She clinched her fist tightly in her hand and closed her eyes tightly, preventing even more tears from spilling down her face, "We had always done everything that he asked us to do. We went to war for him, allowed him to stay in our homeland when his security was threatened, even guarded his palace after the attempt on his life seven years ago and yet, when we needed him, when that bitch Mukuro attacked us, he left us to die like we didn't even matter."

"Why would he do such a thing?" Yusuke asked leaning closer, gently placing his hand on her left shoulder, "No offense, Sahara, but that doesn't sound like the Koenma I know at all. Sure, he's a coward, I'll give you that, but never would he leave innocent people to die."

"Yusuke, I don't know the answer to that question. That is something only Koenma knows, if you wish to know, maybe you should ask him," She stopped for a moment to brush her long hair behind her shoulders, when her hand caught on something small on her shoulder making Yusuke wince. She had found it.

Meanwhile

"What's going on? Everything was going good and now all we've got is a bunch of static." Kuwabara asked loudly as he, Kurama, and Koenma were crowded round the small speaker that lay on Koenma's desk.

"I don't really know, Kuwabara, this was just a prototype of the real thing, though my scientists assured me it was perfect." Koenma fumed as he began to violently shake the speaker, "Come on! Work damn you! WORK." He roared at the speaker.

"Koenma, calm down, they may have just come into a bad area, or maybe they are fighting some demons. You know we picked up a lot of static the times they were fighting." The ever calm kitsune took the speaker and placed it back on Koenma's desk, "However, I must admit that I don't feel comfortable about the way we've approached this. Maybe we should have just asked her."

"Nonsense, Kurama," Koenma leaned back in his large leather chair staring at the ceiling, "Believe me, that Sahara can be on stubborn girl when she wants to be, she would never reveal any of this information to any of us because she doesn't trust us."

"But this little exercise isn't exactly trust building either now is it?" The guilty kitsune cornered his boss, waiting on Koenma's next excuse.

"You are all idiots." Hiei spoke quietly from his corner of the room, his red eyes set an intense glare on the three men across from him, "She's not stupid, she will figure out something isn't right."

"Don't worry Hiei, Sahara won't find out about it. You saw how small that thing was. It's hard to locate even when you are looking for it." Koemna grinned triumphantly at the fox and the fire demon.

Suddenly the rustling of the static became worse as the three men crowded even closer together around the small box speaker. The rattling and thumping became louder, much louder and then just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped causing the three to look back and forth from one another. Then, a high pitched squeal emitted from the speaker, causing them to fall backwards onto the floor, grabbing their ears and hoping that they would be able to hear again in a few minutes.

With Sahara

She could feel her pulse racing as she wrung her right hand together, the discovered but crumbling to dust in her palm. Never before had she felt so betrayed, she had expected it of Koenma, but never of the team. She turned her angry gaze to Yusuke, her amber eyes set in a hard glare as she tossed what remained of the bug into the fire, effectively destroying Koenma's attempt to get any unknown information out of her.

"Sahara, I…" Yusuke was halted by Sahara's hand clamping over his mouth, before he could even finish his apology.

"Save it, Yusuke, I don't want any half-assed apologies. Let's just go home." She spoke succinctly as she impatiently watched the detective summon a portal and stepped through it, her anger apparent in every movement she made.

"Welcome back you two!" A very stunned Koenma called to them, still rubbing his very sensitive ears.

"How dare you." She said quickly as she made her way over to him and landed a hard smack to his right cheek, causing it to instantly turn a bright shade of red. "After all you've done to me, you still have the gall to do more? Is it because you are extremely nosey, Koenma, or do you just like seeing me relive my most painful memories?" She fumed again and turned around to make her way out of the large wooden doors, all eyes in the room set on her as she stormed out.

"Hiei," Koenma spoke quietly as he gently caressed his stinging cheek, "Follow her, please, make sure she's safe." Hiei simply nodded to the prince and in a blur of black he had left the room.

With Sahara

Sahara made her way to one of her favorite spots near the mansion, a cliff just north from their home that overlooked all of the surrounding area. She lay down on the damp grass, her eyes focused on the stars above. Never before had she been so furious with Koenma than she was right now. She had always hoped that what he had done to her people had been some sort of mistake, something he had not mean to do, but now, she was more than sure he had wanted nothing but to make her miserable.

She pursed her lips and allowed a few more tears to cascade down her cheeks, mascara trailing along with them. Why would he do this to her? Had they not been the best of friends when they were younger? Sure, she knew that she had deeply hurt the prince one time before, but that didn't mean that he had to continuously repay her with the memories of that day when she had lost everything.

"Hiei, I know you are there." She choked out softly, feeling the fire demon probing throughout her mind.

The apparently shocked fire demon made his way from the trees behind her and sat down a few feet away from her, staring at the back of her head as if he was waiting for her to tell him what he wanted to know.

"Why would they send you?" She asked him, not even bothering to turn around and look at him, ashamed of how she must look to a person who was always so strong right now.

"Apparently, the toddler cares a great deal about you, he just wanted to be sure that you were safe." Hiei said quickly, his jagan glowing dimly as he still continued to search through her mind, a little more cautious of his movements now.

"I should hope he would care a lot about me," She spoke quietly as she turned to face the fire demon behind her.

"And why is that?" Hiei stopped short of the darkest part of her mind, apparently shocked that she had actually turned around, willing to share some of the information she had been hiding so long from the rest of the world.

"Because he was at one time my fiancé." He words came quick, almost run together in one large word as she cast her gaze to the ground below her. Hiei's eyes grew wide at this revelation, knowing that this would explain so many things for him and the rest of the group, if only he could delve deeper into this very intriguing young girls mind.


	14. Chapter 13

The two of them simply sat for a long time in silence, staring out at the beautiful scenery that lay before them. On one side, the amber eyed, witty princess anxiously awaited the fire demons next question while she questioned herself and her motives for telling someone that she barely knew something that the majority of people didn't know about her. She mentally cursed herself several times for thinking that this demon beside her was more than just a spy for Koenma and cursed her lack of restraint.

On her left, sat the fire demon who her mind was so engrossed with. She turned her gaze to him only to find his ruby eyes staring into her own, questioning her intentions as much as she was. He shifted uncomfortably and moved further away while contemplating what it was that made this seemingly weak little nigen girl so fascinating to him.

"It was an arranged marriage." She started quietly, pulling Hiei from his thought world and back to listening to her story, "We were betrothed from the very day that I was born."

Their eyes stayed connected for bit, causing a faint blush to creep across her cheeks before she turned away, embarrassed that she let such childish thoughts enter her head. She glanced sideways at the demon beside her, trying not to be seen while she admired his ruby eyes. The blush that now colored her face burned with a greater intensity and she thanked the heavens it was night and that he could not see her.

"Doesn't seem like the toddler would approve of just marrying anyone," Hiei stated flatly, turning his eyes to the mansion below, as if he were staring daggers at Koenma's window, still furious for the mission Koenma had almost forced him to carry out.

"It was not his decision. My father and King Yama decided it without Koenma's consent. It was supposed to be some great political movement that would finally pacify the insurgents of the Toki once and for all." She put her hands to her forehead, hoping that their cool touch would soothe her burning face.

"Well, I thought they were a peaceful people. You've said that before haven't you?" He asked turning to face her again.

She glanced over to where he was sitting, confused that this demon who had never cared for anyone in his entire life was now basically sitting at her side, begging her to go on with a story that had nothing to do with him. She became a little suspicious of his motives and decided to keep him away from the more personal matters that only she had knowledge of in case he should report back to Koenma. Hiei didn't seem like the type to do so, but after what Kurama pulled that night, she knew that she couldn't trust any of them.

"Well, of course they were a peaceful people. But, there were those demons who weren't exactly thrilled to have humans ruling over them so the occasional uprising did occur. My father arranged the marriage to make sure I was WELL taken care of should anything have happened to him and my mother." She smiled at the fire demon who was obviously satisfied with her explanation of how she and her family had gotten involved with Koenma and his father.

"Sahara, are you out here?" The two turned to see four feminine shapes heading towards them. Before Sahara could even turn to halt Hiei, he had gone, leaving only a thin trail of dust drifting in the air behind him. "There you are!" A very enthusiastic Botan wrapped her strong arms around Sahara's tiny waist.

"Honestly Sahara, it can't be healthy to sit on the wet ground as chilly as it is out here." Keiko said in a firm, lecturing tone as she draped her jacket over Sahara's small frame.

"Are you feeling better now, Sahara?" Kagami asked as she gave her friend a hand in getting off the ground, "We heard about the little incident with Koenma, do you need to talk about it?"

"Yeah, I would like that." Sahara said cheerily as they made their way back to the mansion and into Botan's very pink room.

"So, Botan has given us Koenma's side of the story but now we want to hear yours." Keiko said with a bright smile, sitting almost completely on the edge of her seat waiting for this great tale to begin. "What happened to make you two lose your love?"

"Ok, first, we were never in love. It was an arranged marriage and nothing more." Sahara stated flatly causing the four girl's eyes to grow wide. Sahara sighed knowing that it was not the best tone to take with this subject, "I mean, don't get me wrong, there was never anything romantic between us, but I truly cared for Koenma and was thankful that if I had to be trapped in a marriage with anyone it was him."

"So, what exactly ended the arrangement?" Botan asked as if signaling for Sahara to proceed, growing impatient with the back-story that she had heard more than she could count.

"Well, when I reached the age of sixteen I decided that I wanted out. I went to King Yama and apologized telling him that I wanted to find love, not a political partner." Sahara said uneasily, seeing the girls around her closing in on her, as if they feared she would run away without telling them the rest of her story.

"Sahara, that's beautiful," Keiko said quietly, the other three girls nodding their heads in agreement, "So what happened with King Yama?"

"King Yama, was absolutely furious and told me that it was my responsibility to break it off with Koenma." She heaved in a deep sigh, trying to contain her emotions as memories of that very painful meeting ran rampant in her mind.

"And I take it Koenma didn't react so well either," Yukina spoke softly as she laid her hand gently on Sahara's shoulder, as if she realized just how painful this was for their newest friend to talk about.

"It was, the second most painful thing I've ever had to endure my entire life," Sahara's voice quivered as she felt the tears coming to her eyes, "Someone you cared about for so long telling you to get the hell out, that they never want to see you again. That hurts."

Yukina, as if noticing her friend was losing the battle with her emotions, began to trace small circles with the tips of her fingernails on Sahara's back hoping to soothe her. The other three girls stared at Sahara for a long time in silence after that, wondering if they should travel any farther into Sahara's past of if they should leave her alone for a bit.

"Sahara, pardon me, but that doesn't explain why you are angry with Koenma," Yukina said softly behind, causing all eyes in the room to turn to her. Her alabaster cheeks became tinged with hints of red as she contemplated her next statement, "Well, from what you've told us, Koenma should be the one angry with you not the other way around."

"Well, after the fight between the two of us, rumors began to spread throughout demon world that the new queen of the demon world, Mukuro, was taking away the smaller kingdoms that still dotted the map, and that our kingdom was next on her list." Sahara stopped for a moment, brushing her long hair back away from her face and into a low pony tail.

"I came to Koenma and presented the evidence, very discreetly so that I would not be attacked on my way here." Sahara said quietly, gazing out the window at a certain fire demon who was sitting on a branch just outside.

Botan's eyes suddenly went wide as she pieced together just when Sahara had last visited the mansion. The usually bubbly pink eyes of the reaper now became very solemn for she knew exactly which part of the story was coming next for it had been one of the hardest jobs she had ever had to do. She looked to Kagami, who sat to her left and noticed that Kagami's shoulders were shaking as she tried her best to hold back her tears from in front of the rest of the girls. Botan nodded for Sahara to continue as she draped her arm around Kagami's shoulder trying to comfort the purple haired girl.

"That was the day Koenma told me he could do nothing to save my people from their destruction," Sahara heaved a sigh that was caught in her chest as a few tears escaped from her eyes and flowed down her cheeks, "The worst part was that after all I had done to him, he still tried to save me."

"So, what made that so bad?" Keiko asked causing the princess to turn her gaze back to the group, accepting the tissue box that Yukina was offering, "Doesn't that show he cared about you?"

"Yes, but he told me that he couldn't reactivate the Spirit Detective team and yet as soon as my kingdom was destroyed, I heard rumors of their return." Sahara's entire body began to shake as she felt the anger that had so long built inside her trying to escape.

"I watched countless lives be lost at the hands of that beast that night and yet for a long time I refused to believe that he would have let them die. 'He would never have allowed innocent people to die', I told myself repeatedly even after I had heard the rumors of their return to work." She clinched her fist tighter, her face now colored a heavy shade of red as she continued to vent on them.

"It was then that I ran into Yusuke one day on an outside mission I knew that he had taken me for a fool," Sahara turned her gaze back to the window for a long time, looking for the red eyes that had been so set on her earlier.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that, Sahara," Yukina said quietly as she handed the box of tissues over to the still sobbing Kagami.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?" Sahara said with a mocking tone a she plopped on Botan's fluffy bed stretching out so that she took up the chunk that the rest of the girls weren't sitting on.

"Still, it seems like an awful lot for one person to have to go through alone," Keiko replied as she pulled a deck of cards from her purse and began to shuffle them.

"Yes, well, let's not forget that I had Kagami, she's helped a lot," Kagami's violet eyes brightened at this compliment from her best friend and she giggled in response to the wink that Sahara had sent her, "Plus, I would like to think that you three have helped me in the short time I've known you."

"Aw, Sahara! That's so sweet!" Botan's screeching voice made the smaller girl grasp her sensitive ears as she was swallowed up in one of Botan's bone crushing hugs earning a loud, but strained laugh from Sahara.

"Did you guys just see what I saw?" Kagami asked in a shocked tone, earning looks of confusion from the other girls in the room. "Sahara just smiled an actual smile. It has been so long since I've seen one of those, I thought she'd forgotten how to do it." Kagami said with a huge grin causing Sahara to blush.

"You really do have a beautiful smile, you know," Yukina said softly, her crimson eyes boring into Sahara's amber ones, "Maybe you should use it more often."

"Thank you," The now very red faced Sahara wriggled away from Botan and bowed to the group of girls causing Kagami to come bouncing off the bed towards her.

"Would you stop that?" Kagami said forcefully as she pushed Sahara back into a standing position, "How am I supposed to treat you like a normal person if you keep reverting back to your old princess habits?"

"Well, I guess you are right," Sahara said with a huge grin as she made her way to the door, "Now if you four don't mind, I'm going to head on to bed. Got to get up bright and early tomorrow."

"Sahara, remember this as you go to bed. Live life to the fullest, you never know when it's going to end!" Kagami said cheerily to her best friend as the other three girls said their goodnights.

Sahara stepped quietly into the hall making sure that she would courteous to those who might already be asleep. She smiled to herself as Kagami's words repeated themselves over and over again in her ears. It had been so long since she had heard Kagami's homemade saying that she had almost forgotten how it went.

However, her smile suddenly turned to a pain of fear as she began to hear Mukuro's cold, cruel words calling out to her as she lay in her bed that night. The words she had spoken to her on that night so very long ago, mixing with her request that she bring Kagami along for the dark tournament.

Sahara sank off into dreams that night, nightmares of the destruction of her people and the destruction of the only real family she had left in this world. And at the head of all the destruction that was unfold around her stood one woman. Her mechanical eye gazing throughout Sahara's dreams, as if focusing on every little detail of Sahara that made her worry. The nightmarish eye and the evil laughter that had long haunted her mind, haunted her very soul that entire night as she thought of what the next day would bring: The Dark Tournament.


	15. Chapter 14

Sahara glanced out the window at the bright orange sun that was just beginning to peak over the horizon as she shut the top of her heavy, hunter green suitcase, locking it firmly. She couldn't believe that in just a few short hours she would be standing at the dark tournament with all of those demons surrounding her.

She shuddered a bit a the thought of being in such close proximity to Mukuro, knowing that she would do all in her power to make her life a miserable hell while they stayed there. Sahara felt her chest tightening as the memories of that night flashed once again in her head, as they had so many times before.

'I have got to stop letting that get to me,' Sahara mentally lectured herself while she gazed into her mirror, making painstakingly sure that every hair in her neat ponytail was in the correct place.

"Are you ready to go?" Asked a very enthusiastic Yusuke as he bounded in through her open door and dove on the bed, effectively pulling most of the lime comforter into the floor.

"Just about Yusuke," she said with a slight giggle as she sprayed a bit of hair spray on her violet locks to assure they would stay where she had meticulously put each of them.

"Jeez Sahara, what did you pack?" Yusuke groaned as he tried to lift her bag from the bed beside him.

"I didn't pack much at all really" she said as she popped the lid on her suitcase, "Just the necessities, you know, and of course I brought some first aid supplies, I figure you'll be needing those most of all." She smiled at the fuming detective.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Yusuke's chocolate eyes became narrowed in a hardened glare on Sahara's rounded face, offended that she had just made such a comment about him.

"Oh come on, Yusuke," She continued smiling as she closed her case once more and handed it to her friend, "You know that I don't mean it."

Yusuke seemed satisfied with her answer as he made his way out the door, Sahara shutting it behind the two of them. The pair walked in silence as they made their way down the ornately decorated hallway towards Koenma's grand office where they would be taking a portal to where the dark tournament was to be held.

Sahara began reliving the many good memories she'd had since she had come to live in this place with the boys. She remembered the very first night she had come here after being rescued nearly three months ago and how each of the boys, excluding Hiei of course, had tried to make her transition as smooth as possible. Even Koenma had tried to make things better by taking Kagami into their home as well so that she would be safe.

The team hadn't been anything like she had imagined them to be from the stories she had heard all around the Makai. Yusuke had been the biggest shocker of all. He was a complete and utter moron at times, not the strategically gifted mastermind that had become feared by many of the residents of the Makai. Sahara's grin became wider when she realized just how close she had grown to this loud and often obnoxious teenager.

Kuwabara was the next name to enter Sahara's thoughts. Though he could be exceedingly loud and sometimes very annoying, he was the most honest member of the team and one of the few people that Sahara trusted instantly. She had even begun to become accustomed to his voice, and missed it frequently when she couldn't hear him shrieking at Yusuke in the background.

Kurama joined the pair silently on the left side of Yusuke, turning Sahara's thoughts to the red haired kitsune. Even though he had been the one behind planting the bug on her collar a little over a month ago, she had begun to trust him more, especially after he had confessed to his part in the mission. He was definitely one of the best looking members of the group and just the though of Kagami's face the first time she saw him was enough to cause a full blown smile to erupt onto Sahara's face.

Then the last member of their dysfunctional group was of course was the feisty fire demon, Hiei. Hiei was rude, bitchy to say the least, emotionless, and above all distant from everyone else on the team. However, in the small talks that they had shared with each other, which usually consisted of her venting all of her frustrations on him, she felt she had grown quite close to the fire demon.

Sahara wore her smile proudly as the three of them entered into Koenma's office, catching Koenma completely off guard. "Glad to see that you are in such a good mood today, Sahara." Koenma commented, snapping Sahara back to the present time just as she ran into Yusuke, hard.

"Sorry, Yusuke," Sahara spoke softly as she gave a small bow which earned a pat on the head from Yusuke.

"You know that you don't have to bow to me," Yusuke grabbed her shoulders and forced her gently back into an upright position, "I know that I'm gorgeous, but I'm no god."

"Oh that's just great Sahara," Kuwabra said with a sly smirk, "Way to give our leader a big head. Hate to tell you Urameshi, but I'm the GORGEOUS one in this group." He grinned broadly as he dashed through the swirling blue vortex that had just opened beside Koenma's great wooden desk.

"COME BACK HERE!" Yusuke shrieked as he dashed through after his friend, "You fat-assed, ugly, son of a…" his rants were cut off as he ran through the portal.

"Well, shall we go, Hiei?" Kurama asked, earning a curt nod from the fire demon as they made their way through, Kurama hoped that he could prevent their much more boisterous teammates from killing each other.

Sahara stopped just as she walked up to the portal, contemplating just what this tournament would change for her. It was then that Koenma walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder, making her body instantly tense at his touch.

"Is there anything wrong, Sahara?" Koenma asked quietly, turning her to face him, his dark brown eyes boring in to her bright amber ones, making her tense even more at sharing such close proximity with the man that she had hated for so long.

"No," she shook her head, pushing his hands from her shoulders, "nothing's wrong, I'm fine."

"Make sure you get some sleep once you get there, ok?" Koenma placed his hands back on her shoulders, pulling her close into a tight hug. "I don't want anything to happen to you, ok?"

She allowed herself to settle in his embrace for a moment, realizing just how much she had missed the comfort she felt when he was near. However, it wasn't long before she became angry with him once more and wrenched herself from his grasp and fled through the portal, embarrassed that she had let him actually touch her, let alone hug her.

Landing outside of the stadium, it didn't take long before Sahara was able to find her teammates by locating the screeching Kuwabara. "YOU KNOW WHAT URAMESHI? I'M GOING TO THE ROOM!"

"That's right you chicken! Run away, that's all you're good at!" Yusuke's voice caused heads to turn to stare at the group, a bright blush growing on Kurama and Sahara's faces.

"Yusuke, Kuwabara!" Kurama called to his two friends who's shapes were growing smaller in the distance, "Don't you think it would be wise if we all stayed together?"

"Forget it, Kurama," Hiei snapped a bit as he brushed forcefully between Sahara and Kurama, "Those fools are so far away now, they won't be able to hear anything you say."

Sahara stole a glance at the fire demon who had captured her interest a while back, concerned that he had been so silent that day, even for him. It was then that she noticed his entire body was shaking, as if anger was surging throughout his entire body so much that he couldn't control what it did.

"Hiei, calm down," Sahara said softly, placing her hand on his left shoulder, feeling it tense even more than the rest of his body, "It's going to be alright, they are just being stupid."

"Keep your hands off of me," Hiei snarled as he forced her hand away from him and stalked away from the two, leaving Sahara and Kurama staring after him.

"Pay him no mind Sahara, he's just tense because Mukuro is here," Kurama said as he draped his arm around her shoulders, shaking her slightly.

'Why would he be so worried about her being here?' Sahara contemplating questioning Kurama but thought better of it as she the two of them began making their way towards the hotel, Kurama's arm still draped loosely around her shoulders.

"Sahara, there is something I need to tell you," Kurama said quietly, his eyes never moving away from the path ahead. "We've put your name down as Razi on the roster, to protect you. I just thought you should know to prevent confusion."

"I was actually going to ask all of you what was done about my name," Sahara giggled a bit as she leaned closer to the kitsune, feeling his body temperature rise sharply and a bright red blush creep across his face, "It wouldn't be good if we had all of demon world coming after me trying to kill me."

"I suppose not," Kurama chuckled, turning his face from Sahara trying to hide the blush, "Not that they won't be after us anyway."

"Where have you two been?" Yusuke jeered at the two of you as you entered the apartment style hotel room, Kurama refusing to take his arm from around Sahara. "Did you meet up for a little quickie in the woods?"

"Maybe we did, maybe we didn't, but you'll never know that will you?" Sahara giggled loudly this time seeing Kurama turn as bright red as his hair causing Kuwabara and Yusuke to join in her giggle fit.

"I'm leaving," Hiei scoffed from the window seat as he made his way to the door, "This ridiculous giggling is giving me a headache."

She smirked at the hot headed fire demon as he made way out of the room, shutting the door firmly as he exited. Then Yusuke tossed a deck of cards onto the coffee table in front of the group and pretty soon the four remaining team members were locked in a battle of five card draw, Yusuke holding the majority of the potato chips they were using as betting wages.

A three tone bell sounded making four heads snap away from the game and listen to the announcement. "All teams entering the dark tournament please make their way to the center ring for match up draws." A soft-spoken, monotone female voice echoed throughout the hallways.

"Well, I guess that's our cue." Sahara stated quietly as she rose from her place on the floor and moved towards the door.

"Please tell me you aren't going dressed like that." Yusuke said quickly, grabbing Sahara's tattered training shirt by the collar, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"It's customary for all fighters to wear much nicer outfits to the opening day fights as well as the finals, should they make it." Kurama explained, the shock becoming more evident on Sahara's face showing that she had not known of this important information.

"Relax, shorty," Kuwabara patted Sahara's violet hair, trying to calm down the obviously upset girl. "Here's a gift from the rest of us and the girls."

Sahara took the beautifully wrapped lavender gift from Kuwabara's large hands and began to quickly tear into the gift. Her amber eyes grew wide as she stared at the garment in the box that now sat in her lap. She held up the beautifully crafted white flowing dress against her body, admiring the jade wrap that would be around her waist when she wore the dress.

"Sahara, get changed," Yusuke said as he tossed her a pair of jade shorts to wear underneath, "We've got a long day ahead of us." She smiled at the three men and ran to the bathroom, her anxiety forgotten for a moment as she pulled on the beautiful garment and prepared for the battle that was looming on the horizon that would not only be a physical and mental battle but an emotional drain on her as well.


	16. Chapter 15

"Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, demons and humans alike!" Squealed the perky brown haired fox as the stadium filled with thunderous applause, "I'm Koto, and I'm happy to be your announcer for the first half of this years DARK TOURNAMENT!!!" She shouted into her microphone, cutting a few one handed cartwheels until she landed gracefully in the center of the right, all eyes on the stadium on her.

"What's going on out there?" Sahara asked as she tried to get past the other four boys and look between the crack of the large gate.

"It's just the preliminary announcements," Kurama informed, moving a bit to the side so that she could get through to see, "She should be starting naming the other teams off soon enough."

"Team Akashi!" Koto shouted into her microphone and motioned toward five large demons who were coming from the far side of the stadium, opposite from where Sahara and the rest of the team waited anxiously behind closed doors.

It was the first time Sahara had ever been on this side of the Dark Tournament, and though she hid her fear very well, it was beginning to take it's toll on her body. She shivered slightly sensing the great power that that came from the five demons who were now making their way towards the ring.

Suddenly, she felt a large hand rest gently on her shoulder and lightly scratch it. She turned to see the concerned face of Kuwabara staring down at her from his great height. She smiled at the gentle giant and silently mouthed a thank you towards him, before turning her attention back to the other teams who were moving toward the center ring.

"And last, but certainly not least," Koto screamed again as she bounded from the wring and performed and elaborate display of somersaults before landing in front of the gate, "TEAM URAMESHI!" She cried out as she flung the two great doors open, exposing the five members of the team to a barrage of insults and death threats.

The five walked slowly towards the center ring, trying their best to ignore the awful jeers and disturbing comments that were being made toward them. Sahara shuddered seeing so many demons jeering at her and stepped a bit closer to Yusuke, who was apparently fed up with the crowd already.

"Save your energy man," Kuwabara leaned over and whispered to his friend who was obviously losing control of his energy as it swirled around him in great blue flames, "They aren't worth it."

Yusuke sighed and immediately thrust his trademarked middle finger high into the air, causing a small chuckle to erupt from Sahara's vocal chords. He flashed a great grin towards the violet haired girl and patted her head lightly, which helped calm her stage fright even more.

"Now of course, we all know Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei, who have all proven themselves at the last dark tournament," Koto said quickly, trying to hush the crowd before continuing with her speech, "But the new buzz is surrounding the newest team member, the beautiful, but still deadly, RAZI!" She cheered as she bounded towards Sahara, shoving her microphone into her face.

Sahara blushed furiously hearing the cat calls that erupted from the crowd as Koto pulled her into the spotlight, which made her blush even more. "Now tell me Razi, how did you come to know Team Urameshi?"

"Well, I…"

"When did you join?" Koto fired another question quickly, Sahara feeling the pressure of her stage fright kicking in as she back away a bit, still shuddering at the disturbing images that flashed through her mind every time someone made another obscene remark.

"That was…"

"What will you wish for if the team wins?" Koto asked sharply, her bright blue eyes dancing with delight as she stared into Sahara's very afraid, and confused amber pair, awaiting answers to all three of her questions.

"I don't think that's any of your concern, you annoying twit," Hiei spat coldly, catching the girls off guard as he quickly pulled Sahara back to within the safety of their team huddle. His crimson gaze never leaving the kitsune's face until he had Sahara back to where she needed to be.

"Well….you heard it here folks!" Koto cheered as the fans began to cry for Hiei's blood, obviously upset that they had taken their 'eye candy' away from them and hidden her behind the other three men of her team.

"Right, well, settle down folks! You may get Hiei's blood soon enough!" The team shot their eyes at Koto, knowing just what that comment must have meant, "That's right folks! The first match is between Team Urameshi and Team Akashi! Be ready in thirty minutes!"

Sahara grinned nervously as her team disbanded around her and headed towards the locker rooms, and that's when she caught a glance of the person she had been dreading coming in contact with all along. Mukuro. She was sitting on one of the benches closest to the ring, her servants spanned out around her making sure that no one could get close to their beloved queen. She smirked towards Sahara sending chills up her spine, and making her run quickly off after the four boys.

"Here is the girls locker room," Kurama said quietly as he opened the door, allowing a very nervous Sahara to step through, "Don't worry, we are in the room right next to you." He said reassuringly, his eyes furrowed with concern as he stared at the shaking girl who stood before them.

"Don't forget to stretch," Kuwabara said, oblivious to what had just happened to her in the short time she was away from them, "That should help you relax." He said with a small wink as they left her, shutting the door behind them.

Sahara stared after them for a moment, silently wishing they would come back in because in that moment, she didn't feel safe being alone. When she realized that they weren't coming back, she sighed heavily and sat down on the wooden bench that was nearest to her, laying her head back on the cold, metal lockers. She continued to breathe deeply, closing her eyes, hoping to calm her nerves while simultaneously preparing herself for her first battle.

"Well, hello there, Sahara," A cold, mechanical voice echoed through the empty locker room, causing Sahara to immediately leap to her feet, hoping to defend the attack she was almost sure was coming. "My, it has been way to long."

"What do you want, Mukuro?" Sahara asked coldly, turning in the opposite direction of the queen of the Rekai, evidently afraid to face the woman who had slain so many people she had been close to.

"Oh come now, Sahara," Mukuro cooed lightly as she reached out and ran her fingers through Sahara's soft violet hair, admiring the way it glinted lavender in the light, "I just wanted to better admire how beautiful you have become since the last time I saw you. You really do clean up quite nicely."

Sahara turned violently around and shoved Mukuro backwards, hoping the effectively keep her away from her. Mukuro stumbled a bit, but never lost her cool, chuckling as she made her way back towards the Princess who stood silently in the middle of the room, her eyes cast at the floor.

"Sahara, that's no way to act towards your host," Mukuro said gently as she placed both of her hands on Sahara's shoulders and bending down, trying to make the young girl look at her, "Surely, your parents taught you better."

"What is it that you want?" Sahara asked quickly making sure to focus on a crack in the floor, so that she would not be tempted to look at Mukuro, who was still staring straight into her face.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that you held up your end of the bargain," Mukuro jeered a bit, standing back up straight and moving towards the small window, gazing out it and settling her gaze on Kagami, who sat amidst Botan and the other girls, laughing and chatting about the upcoming fights.

"We are both here, Mukuro," Sahara spat violently as she settled a glare on the back of her enemies head, wishing that she had the strength to kill her now, running over the many possibilities of death for her.

"I can see, but I had to be sure." Mukuro turned her gaze back to Sahara, who for the first time gazed into Mukuro's face, trying her best not to let her fear shine through the absolute hatred she felt towards this woman. "Your family has been known to go back on their word."

"Mukuro, that was a long time ago," Sahara closed her eyes, remembering the stories her father had told her of the feud between he and her uncle, "I don't think you should hold it against Kagami and I."

Before Sahara could finish explaining the story however, Mukuro had her pinned against the lockers behind her, slamming her head hard into one, nearly breaking it in half. Sahara barely had any time at all to react before Mukuro had tossed her into the lockers on the other side of the room, effectively denting them completely and making them completely useless. Sahara gasped for breath, feeling some of the jagged metal tearing deep into the delicate flesh on her back as she slid to the floor in a crumpled heap, her hair swirling around her like a protective blanket.

Mukuro smirked at the girl now writhing in pain and sauntered up to her, grasping her hair firmly and lifting her up to face her. "Take a good look at my body and tell me that you condone what your family did to me!" She said violently, ripping off her protective mask and her sleeve, exposing the mechanical parts of her body.

"Mukuro, you know I don't condone it, just please, leave Kagami out of it. I'll do anything you want." Sahara stuttered quietly, earning a malicious smirk from Mukuro.

The sound of footsteps interrupted Mukuro's thoughts as she dropped Sahara, allowing her to fall onto the concrete floor hard and burst through the window. "A meeting in the ring is expected, my dear. It is there that you will decide your fate as well as Kagami's." She jeered as she leapt through the window, just before the four boys charged through the door and into the locker room.

"What the hell happened here?" Yusuke shouted angrily as he examined the damage done to the locker room.

"Mukuro." Sahara spoke quietly, her eyes filling with tears, a few of them spilling over and flowing down her pale cheeks. She stood from the floor and made her way into the bathroom, hoping to clean herself and make sure she was presentable before the match.

"I can't believe she was actually here," Kurama said, gazing at the shattered window, out towards the now very impatient crowd, "I wonder what she had to address Sahara about."

"Urameshi Team!" Koto's voice could be heard through the broken window, "Please report to the ring within the next five minutes or be disqualified." She impatiently tapped her foot, staring in the direction of their gate.

"Well, I guess we had better get going," The quiet voice of Sahara returned as she smiled at the concerned faces of her teammates. "Well, shall we?" The team was making their way out of the locker room when a quiet whisper entered Hiei's mind, making him stop dead in his tracks and gaze back at the shattered window.

"Hiei, aren't you coming?" Kurama asked quickly, when he noticed that his friend had left his spot at this side.

"Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes," Hiei said quickly, his eyes never moving from the window as the rest of the team moved towards the gate. "What do you want, Mukuro?" Hiei's voice suddenly became much more stoic, as he awaited her arrival.

"I only wanted to see how you are doing." Mukuro smirked as she came back through the shattered window, "How is servitude treating you?"

"That is none of your concern," Hiei scoffed as he moved as far away from her as he could, standing silently at the door, her red eyes set in a hard glare at the woman who he had so long fought side by side with.

"Must be nice having to be at the toddlers beck and call all day," Mukuro grinned as she stepped closer to the very tense fire demon. "And now babysitting for his precious little princess, Hiei, if I didn't know any better, I would say you've gone soft."

Hiei simply shrugged and opened the door, making his way to exit, tired of hearing her ridiculous accusations. However, before he could step through, she was standing in front of him, her still exposed mechanical arm grasped tightly around his neck.

"Don't you walk away from me!" She jeered, flooding his mind with awful images of his sisters death, hoping to sway him.

Hiei, however, never faltered, his glare still fixed hard on her face as he tore her hand away from his neck. "You will do none of those things to Yukina, and you know it. I am much stronger now that I was the last time we fought and I would easily kill you."

Mukuro chuckled at Hiei, realizing that he was still the same person he had always been, "Well, what if I went after the little princess?"

"The princess can defend herself if necessary." Hiei's glare softened a bit as he recalled the horror of her attack, "I must warn you, don't push her to hard, or you may not live to regret it."

"What's this?" Mukuro mocked fake surprise, turning her gaze to Hiei's back as he began to walk away from her, "Hiei, actually giving someone a piece of advice? You really have gone soft."

"I'm not soft, you idiot," Hiei said quietly, closing his eyes and remember the absolute pain that had been inflicted upon him, "I'm just giving you fair warning, it would be in your best interest if you left her alone."


	17. Chapter 16

Sahara winced slightly at the bright lights that temporarily blinded her as the doors swung open. Instantly the entire crowd was standing, jeering, throwing any object they could get their hands on, hoping to slay at least one of the team members before they could reach the center ring.

"DON'T LISTEN TO THEM YOU GUYS!!!" A voice rang out over the entire stadium, causing all eyes to search for the person who had been brave enough to speak out. There standing in the midst of some pretty mangled security guards, was Kagami, standing with her foot on top of one of the guards, pleased with the disruption she had caused. "JUST GET OUT THERE AND KICK SOME ASS!!!"

"Kagami," Botan sighed as she pulled Kagami away from yet another fight with a security guard, "It's probably a bit reckless to be screaming such things out, especially since we are currently surrounded by those who hate the Urameshi Team."

"I refuse to sit back like a scared little girl while the team is down there fighting for their lives," Kagami shot back as she wriggled out of Botan's surprisingly strong grip. She brushed her lavender hair back into it's rightful place before producing a bright purple bag. "That's why I made these!" She grinned broadly as she threw open the bag, revealing her homemade creations to the other three girls.

Three pairs of eyes went wide as they began to sift through the large purple bag. Never before had they seen anyone at the Dark Tournament go to such lengths to support their favorite team. There were elaborate banners, hats, t-shirts, buttons, even hair ribbons and all had the same slogan, 'Go Team Urameshi' in big bold letters.

"So what do you think? I'm the ULTIMATE FANGIRL!" Kagami cheered to the other three as she immediately changed into her cheering gear. The other three couldn't help but chuckle at the poorly drawn chibi faces of the five competitors that dawned her shirt. "Yukina, be a dear and help me get this banner up."

"Of course," Yukina blushed a bit, obviously embarrassed by her friend's display, but nevertheless she went right to her aid, effectively pulling the banner up so that the demons in the two rows behind them couldn't see.

"What the hell is this?" A sickly green demon asked his buddies, grabbing the banner as if he was going to tear it.

Suddenly, his neck was snapped around so that he was facing the person in the seat behind him. His buddies stared for a moment at their now deceased partner before turning their gaze to the livid child dressed in all purple who stood before them.

"Would you boys like to join him?" She hissed, narrowing her eyes into thin, violet slits. The other two demons, who were much larger that Kagami, shook their heads violently causing the young girl to smirk down at them. "Then do me a favor and keep your hands off my banner." She said sweetly as she back flipped over the banner and landed in her seat.

"Attention everyone!" Koto's cheery voice called through the sound system, as she danced around in the center ring her ears twitching violent with excitement. "Welcome to the first round of the Dark Tournament! To my left you will find the indescribable, positively sinister, TEAM AKASHI!" 

The entire stadium shook with the thunderous applause of the crowd as they jumped to their feet, cheering on their fellow demons who now stared across the ring at Team Urameshi. One of the more powerful demons caught Sahara's gaze and instantly flared his bright red aura around him, causing her to shudder violently, making pain shoot throughout her entire body. She held back a scream as she grasped the knots of the makeshift bandages she had tied around her body, hoping that they would hold until the fight was through.

"Wow what a response, and I'm sure the next response will be just as big," Koto smiled as she did a midair somersault and landed in a split, her left index finer extended towards the team, "Give it up for the team on my right! The one and only TEAM URAMESHI!"

This time the roars of 'Kill Urameshi' and the many death threats became so loud that the sound system began to hiss, overstrained by the outraged demon fans. Sahara looked around her at the surrounding demons, trying to prevent herself from trembling so that she wouldn't have to deal with more pain.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!" Kagami turned around and screamed at the people in her section. She lifted her banner proudly into the air, drawing the attention of Koto and the two teams as she began to chant.

Team Urameshi is the best,

Much better than all the rest.

You may think I'm rather crass,

But my team's gonna kick your ASS!!!

"What an idiot," He hissed under his breath. However, this display now had the other four members smiling at her throwing up victory signs and showing off their great physiques as if to encourage her to go on.

"Team Captains" Koto coughed into the microphone, immediately calling all attention in the stadium back to her, "Please make your way to the center of the ring to discuss the rules of your match."

Yusuke's face suddenly became very somber as he hopped into the ring and made his was towards the dark green demon who stood in the center ring before him. Yusuke stared up at the large demon who towered over him, glaring for a long time at his opponents beady black eyes. Yusuke's scowl suddenly turned to a smirk as he turned his russet gaze to Koto, making her jump slightly.

"I say we do this quickly. Free for all. The first team to have five members disabled, down for ten counts, or dead wins." Yusuke smirked, seeing the absolute glee take over in Koto's bright blue eyes.

"That's fine with me Urameshi," the other captain hissed towards his opponent, signaling for his other teammates to join him.

"I LOVE IT FOLKS!" Koto cheered from between the two teams, pumping her fist into the air. "A free for all so early in the tournament. I guess that's what you can expect from the great Team Urameshi." She smiled brightly towards the team as more death threats poured from the stands, "What sort of carnage will we witness in this ring today? I hope you are all as excited as I am!"

Just as she held her hand up, getting ready to signal for the match to begin, a melodic three toned sequence poured from the loudspeakers, causing a hush to fall over the entire stadium. "Attention please, Team Urameshi will suffer a two point deduction in this round for the discovery of vandalism in the female locker room."

"WHAT?" Kuwabara screamed out as he turned his head towards the judges booth, contemplating the fastest way to reach them without them seeing him.

"Kuwabara, calm down," Kurama said softly, placing his hand on his shoulder, "You should have known they would come after us again. Don't let them get to you. Do all of your fighting in the ring." He said rather calmly, while allowing his youki to flood his body just long enough to give the judges a split second glace at Youko.

"Fighters, TO YOUR PLACES!" Koto cheered as she raised her hand into the air, making both teams take their stances, "And…..BEGIN!" She shouted, running out of the way as the ten members of the teams flew at each other.

Sahara stood back for a moment, seeing Yusuke taking on the team leader from early, his bright blue aura challenging his red one as they lugged deadly punches at each other with such speed she nearly lost them a few times. Before she could turn around to search for the demon that she had chosen to go after, a violent kick collided with her left cheek and sent her flying into the wall on the opposite side of the stadium.

"To bad beauty doesn't pay off in the ring folks as Razi takes a hard hit, sending her crashing through a solid brick wall!" Koto called from the sidelines, as the crowd roared with pleasure once more. "I'm sure she'll be feeling that one in the morning."

"I don't think it wise to make such comments, when I'm so close I could snap your little neck and no one would ever know the difference," Hiei whispered into her ear, making her hair stand on end as he disappeared as quickly as he had come and went back to fighting his opponent.

Sahara cried out in pain, feeling the wound on her back reopen as she flipped over onto her stomach and began to push herself off the ground, her knees barely catching all of her weight. She panted heavily, hoping to make the pain subside, spitting a bit of blood from her mouth and searching for the demon who had been responsible for her attack. Suddenly the sound of fast footsteps could be heard behind her and Sahara ducked down, barely missing what would have been a deadly blow to her neck. The demon simply smirked down at her before disappearing once more.

"Damn, a speed demon," She cursed herself as she gazed around the stadium once more, hoping to find a small trace of the demon, or at least something that could help her defeat him.

That was when she saw her ticket to beating this demon. Hiei smirked broadly as he pulled his katana from the chest of his opponent, sheathed it, and casually tossed the body to the side. She took off at top speed towards Hiei, hearing the light footsteps of the demon who was quickly closing in on her.

"HIEI!" She shouted, catching the attention of the fire apparition as she slid beneath him, allowing him to run his sword through yet another victim. He smirked down at the girl on the ground beneath him before replacing his sword and moving to help Kurama in his fight.

Sahara felt her warm blood flowing freely down her back now, sure that it was seeping through the bandages she had made. She was perfectly content to lay there and wait for the announcement of their victory, but that was when Kuwabara caught her eye. Though he was fighting valiantly, giving everything he had for the team, this demon easily overwhelmed him because of it's ability to absorb spirit energy. Kuwabara screamed out in pain as the demon's razor sharp claws tore into the exposed flesh of his chest, knocking him to the ground.

She stood up, pain and blood loss making her vision blurry, and ran as fast as she could towards the demon. This giant prepared to strike her down, but just before he could, she pushed up from the ground with her left hand, giving just enough leverage to get her up onto his shoulders. While the demon was distracted, trying to beat the young girl off of him, Kurama took the opportunity and wrapped his Rose Whip tightly around his exposed midriff, severing him in sixteen separate places.

Yusuke smirked at Sahara, flashing her a thumbs up as she landed on the ground and made her way over to help Kuwabara up. The crowd that had been so animated before now sat in absolute silence as they stared at the carnage before them. Sahara couldn't help but smirk as she walked toward their exit gate, arm in arm with Kuwabara as Koto made their victory announcement.

"YAY TEAM URAMESHI!" Kagami cheered out through the silence as she waved around bright blue flags, causing Botan and Keiko to blush a bright red as all eyes once again fell on them

"Yay team." Yukina cheered along as she clapped to the beat of Kagami's cheer, as she put on her light blue hat showing her support for the team.

"Come on guys! Yusuke and the others are hurt!" Keiko shouted as she dashed up the stairs, trying to make her way through the crowd towards the locker room.

"That Keiko," Botan sighed rubbing her temples, "Always running away when it really isn't safe too…" She jumped up and ran after her, Kagami and Yukina followed closely with all their cheering supplies in tow.

"Yusuke!" Keiko shouted as she charged into the locker room and wrapped her arms tightly around Yusuke's neck. "Are you alright? I saw him cut your hand up really badly!" She grabbed his hand tightly and pulled it up to her line of eye site, making Yusuke take on a shade of bright red.

"Hn, the great spirit detective is blushing…." Hiei snorted at his teammates display, causing a harsh glare to take over his face.

"Shut up Hiei," Yusuke spat, moving Keiko out of his way, "It would be ashamed if a certain ice apparition…"

"YOU WON'T HAVE MY YUKINA!" Kuwabara shouted at the top of his lungs, causing Sahara to wince at the noise.

"You really are an idiot aren't you?" Sahara smirked, causing Yusuke and Kurama to burst out in a fit of laughter. She smiled at the group before lying down on the bench she had been sitting on. She knew that she had taken quite a beating, not only in the ring, but from Mukuro. She flinched slightly as she stretched her arms behind her head, feeling her back reopen once more.

Hiei cut his eyes at her immediately. "Be quiet you idiots, the onna is hurt." This caused the other three to stop their argument and come over to inspect her.

"Don't be silly Hiei," Sahara said with a bright smile, trying to cover her pain, shooting up into an upright position. However, the head rush from blood loss was to much for her this time as she crumpled to the floor, completely passed out.

"Kuwabara, go and find Botan and Yukina, I'm going to search for wounds," Kurama ordered as he lifted her limp body from the floor and placed her on the table, immediately removing her dress, and exposing her poorly wrapped torso.

"What the hell is that?" Yusuke asked as he moved closer, hoping that Kurama could shed a little light on the situation.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH SAHARA?" Kagami screamed as she burst through the door, closely followed by Yukina, Botan, and a very out of breath Kuwabara.

"It seems that she was hurt more in her little run in with Mukuro that she would have liked for us to believe." Kurama explained to them as he flipped her over onto her stomach and cut open the gauze, revealing a freely bleeding wound seven inches across her back.

"It's a wonder she hasn't died from blood loss," Botan said, getting a better look at the wound while trying to stead a now very queasy Keiko.

"Can you help her, Yukina?" Kagami pleaded with the ice apparition, holding onto Sahara's hand tightly.

"Shouldn't be a problem if Botan will assist me," Yukina spoke quietly as she moved towards her injured friend, "However, I don't think it would be wise for he to stay in a room alone. Especially if Mukuro has already done this once."

"So, we'll all four take shifts looking after her." Kurama said quickly as he pulled the rest of the gang along with him. "Come on, let's let them get to doing what they do best."

"Kurama," Kagami asked, tears threatening to fall from her violet eyes, "Do you think Sahara will be alright?"

"She'll be fine, Kagami, Don't worry." Kurama said with a slight smile as he ushered the group back to their rooms, leaving the other two girls to a long and tedious night of healing.


	18. Chapter 17

Sahara moaned loudly as she rolled over on the cold, stone floor, pushing herself into an upright position. The scene that caught her eyes was enough to make her sick to her stomach. There before her lay all the members of her team, the girls included, slain in some of the most gruesome ways she had ever seen, their blood splattered out all around them.

"NO!" She cried in anguish as she made over to the body of Kagami, which was completely torn in two, her entrails hung limply from her still bleeding torso as Sahara sobbed into her chest.

"Who would have done such a thing?" she cried out again as she searched for the person responsible, making sure to keep on her guard as she made her way quickly around the room, still holding the mangled torso of Kagami to her bosom.

"It was I, little one," a voice called from the shadows, shocking Sahara so much that she dropped the body of Kagami. She turned around and moved closer to where the sound had originated, which was behind a thick black curtain. She reached her petite hand out and yanked down the curtain, revealing none other than herself, smiling back at her, licking the blood from her finger tips. "The time has finally come."

"NOOOOOOO" she cried out as she sat bolt upright in her bedroom, startling Hiei so much that he had he katana drawn and at her neck ready to kill her.

"What the hell is your problem?" He mumbled irritably as he put his sword back in it's rightful place and making his way back to his chair.

Sahara's breath came in shallow pulses as she waited for the room to stop spinning, Hiei's voice completely lost to her as she lay her head back against the cool, metal headboard. What had made her dream such things? And why would she of all people want to kill Kagami?

"Are you going to answer me, or not," Hiei asked again, obviously completely irritated that she hadn't answered his first question.

She turned her gaze to him for a brief moment, remember the ghastly way in which his body had lain the dream. His bright crimson eyes had been glued open in a state of horror, showing just what a gruesome death he had endure. His skin completely pealed from his body, his hair ripped from the scalp, and finally his own katana jabbed expertly though his stomach to end it all. She shuddered as the image played before her head, her stomach cutting flips, threatening to empty all of it's contents.

"I'm sorry Hiei, it was only a dream, nothing more." She said flatly, still trying to calm her swimming head and raging stomach.

"Well, at least those idiots can finally shut up now," he replied maliciously making her wince at the tone of his voice.

"What are you talking about?" She closed her eyes once more, hoping to hold back the streams of tears that were trying to make their way out.

"You're finally awake."

"What do you mean, FINALLY?" She asked firmly.

"You've been out for nearly a week, and who do you think has had to pull all your weight in the matches when you've been out?" He asked sharply, making her want to cringe away from him.

Suddenly, Sahara was standing before him, his own katana in her hands at his throat glaring down at him. Even Hiei was shocked at this move from the usually meek and meager princess as he glared down the tip of his sword to her face, never flinching. She pushed the katana down harder into his throat causing it to bleed slightly and earning a smirk from him.

"You don't have the guts," his smirk grew as he felt her energy begin to waiver, watching her begin to sway back and forth and then fall to the ground. "Idiot, haven't you realized you still aren't ready to be moving around that way?" he asked before placing her back in the bed, pushing her head against the headboard, none to gently before making a hasty retreat.

She lay back for the longest time in silence, trying to decipher just what the dream had meant. Did she have some unresolved conflict with Kagami? And what about Hiei? Why had his death been such a gruesome one that she had nearly thrown up just remembering it? Her head began to swim with the amount of questions, causing her to close her eyes and listen to the light rain that was tapping against her window.

Suddenly there was a great thundering as three pairs of feet made their way down the hallway, heading towards her room. She instinctively covered her ears hoping to protect them from the oncoming roar of the three men's voices as they burst through the door, all looking very frazzled.

"SAHARA!" Kurama explained immediately rushing to her side, "Thank goodness you are finally awake! He pulled her forward gently and checked under each of her bandages to make sure everything was healing the way that it should

"Yeah, chick," Yusuke grinned, ruffling her already matted violet hair, "You scared us all to death you know? You even made Yukina cry!"

"Why would she cry?" Sahara asked turning her gaze back to Kurama, "I mean, it's not like I nearly died or anything, it wasn't that bad."

"Sahara, you did nearly die," Kurama said quietly, his jade eyes staring into her amber ones, "Botan and Yukina, both nearly passed out from exhaustion working on your wounds, and we still almost lost you."

"Yeah, and if you ever hide that you are hurt from us again…" Kuwabara grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close to his face, "I swear that I will kill you myself."

"Ok, ok, I get it you guys," Sahara smiled towards them, giggling softly, "Goodness, I never expected this lecture from the three of you." She smiled at the faint blushes that crossed their cheeks as she lay back again, "So what exactly have I missed in the tournament?"

"Not to much," Kurama said quietly, "It seems that our first match was the toughest one we've had so far."

"Yeah, it all went down hill from their," Yusuke chimed in, his face expressing his disdain for not having one single entertaining match in the entire Dark Tournament.

A soft knocking at the door, caught the four off guard, causing them to fall silent. "Who is it?" Sahara asked softly dreading the answer that she knew was coming.

"It's Koenma, I would like a word, Sahara," his voice came softly from the other end, as her eyes darted nervously to each of the boys around her. "Please Sahara, this is something that you need to know."

"Would you like us to stay?" Kurama placed his hand on hers, giving a reassuring squeeze as the other two nodded in agreement.

She simply shook her head. "Let me hear what he has to say. If I need you, I will call for you." She smiled nervously toward them before they made their way out, allowing Koenma to come in after them, closing the door softly behind.

They stared at each other for the longest time, amber eyes glaring into saddened russet ones. He breathed nervously as he made his way to the window seat and sat himself down, listening to rain hoping to calm his nerves. She continued to stare at the obviously shaken Prince, feeling just a small amount of sympathy for him.

"Sahara, there is something that you have to know," he began silently, keeping his eyes focused on the birds outside that were flocking to the trees to escape the rain.

"You already said that, Koenma," she spat, obviously growing tired of his stalling, "Now what did you come to tell me."

"You have to know, that I couldn't have done anything at the time." He turned his face to the now fuming Sahara who was making her way towards him

"You interrupted our little discussion for this?" She fumed, her face tingeing red as she surged with anger, "MORE LIES?" she roared at him causing the prince to nearly lose his hold on the tears that were building in his eyes.

"This is not a lie, Sahara, I come now with the truth," Koenma managed to choke out softly, looking into the amber eyes that he still felt a great love for.

"Don't you think it's a little late for that, Koenma," She spat irritably, "My father, my people, they are all dead because of YOU. Or are you just not ready to admit that to yourself yet?"

"Sahara, please," He pleaded, tears beginning to stream down his face, "It wasn't my doing. I had no power."

"Hah," she laughed in his face, smacking him once hard on the left cheek, "You gave me that same excuse two years ago, and yet here the detectives are. Active."

"Sahara, it was my father." Koenma explained, nursing his now glowing red cheek, "My father had completely stripped me of the power to summon Yusuke or any of the others after the Sensui case."

"Why would he allow my people to suffer and die like they did?" Sahara stopped briefly, sitting down beside him as if overwhelmed by the revelation.

"Because parents tend to be overprotective of their children," he replied, placing his arm tentatively around her shoulder, "Even if they are over seven hundred years old."

"But Koenma, King Yama would have never let anyone die because I got out of my….our marriage, would he?" She asked, turning her amber gaze to meet his.

"Sahara, he didn't believe that Mukuro was after you and your family. Because we did not know the history your both share at the time." Koenma explained, stoking her injured back softly, "He thought you were simply there to play on my emotions. Even when I pleaded with him to send someone, he said that you were "Getting to me" and sent me away. It wasn't until after news of the destruction that he gave me back power of the Spirit Detectives."

"Then, that means…all this time, you were telling the truth." She said quietly, looking down to her hands that were folded neatly in her lap. "What an ass I have been." She whispered to herself as a few stray tears fell into her lap.

"Sahara, you were hurt," He gave her shoulder a tentative squeeze, "You only assumed what you could from the information that you had. It could have happened to anyone."

"Koenma, I'm so sorry," she sobbed as she threw he arms around his neck, "Can you ever forgive me, for all of the horrible things I've done to you?" she cried into his shoulder.

He placed both of his arms around her and squeezed her against him. He had forgotten just how wonderful it felt to hold her small frame against his as he sobbed into her soft hair. "You are forgiven, I could never hold a grudge against you."

She turned her face up to him, her eyes were swollen and red but she managed a big smile for him. "I'm glad that we've gotten this straightened out."

"So am I." He said softly as he looked down at his watch, "Oh my goodness! The next match will be starting shortly."

"Really?" she asked excitedly, hoping for the chance to get a good workout in and stretch out her tired muscles.

"I'm sorry Sahara," Koenma said firmly, "But I'm under strict orders to keep you here, you still have a great deal of healing to do."

"Fine," She set her face in a hard glare on the figures of the boys outside her window, hearing Koenma sigh heavily from behind her.

"I promise, the boys will take care of everything. I will send them up to get you when the match is over."

With the Guys

"Here we are once again folks! The second round of the semi-finals!" Juri exclaimed from center ring, her ears twitching with excitement as the crowd around her roared. "I've really enjoyed this match between Team Urameshi and Team Kazaki, which are now tied with two wins each! Teams, please send out your final fighter so the last round can begin!"

The four severely injured members of Team Urameshi glanced back and forth at each other, trying to concoct some sort of plan. However, before they could speak, the crowd erupted once more into a roaring fit as a tall, slender demon faced into the ring, allowing the light to reflect off his bright orange skin.

"OH I LOVE IT FOLKS!" Koto cut a flip over her desk to sit on the wall that surround the ring, "Team Kazaki has sent their leader JIRO! Team Urameshi should obviously counter with Razi, but with her still MIA what will they do?"

"SHUT UP YOU STUPID FOX!" Kagami cried from her seat, flying her banner proudly as she tossed kicked the demon who sat in front of her, "IF YOU DON'T I'LL COME DOWN THERE AND KILL YOU MYSELF!"

"Ok…" Koto cut her blue eyes up at Kagami, sticking her tongue out before continuing, "Will team Urameshi be sending an injured team member to fight? Or will they drag Razi from her hiding place and make her do her job? Either way this is shaping up to be one hell of a blood bath, and I'm loving every minute of it!"

"So what should we do?" Yusuke shouted over the still roaring crowd, panting heavily as he nursed a serious wound on his stomach, trying with all his might to stay conscious.

"Well, Jiro is obviously their strongest man," Kurama said quickly, noticing just how fast his teammate was fading, removing his jacket to help stop the flow of blood, "We will have to send the one who has the most energy left."

"That would be me," Hiei said smugly as he began to make his way to the ring, cutting his eyes at Jiro, "I'll finish this."

"Shorty, this is no time to play hero," Kuwabara caught the end of Hiei's cloak, halting him, "I have the most spirit energy, remember I can sense it. You just leave everything to me."

"Then we are as good as dead," Hiei replied quickly, sending Kuwabara into a fury.

"WHY YOU LITTLE!" Kuwabara charged for Hiei, who easily evaded his assailant sending him flying face first into the dirt.

"Now, children, we should take our frustrations out on our opponents, not each other," Kurama shook his head, turning his attentions back to Yusuke.

"I'LL KILL YOU SHRIMP!" Kuwabara roared as he charged for Hiei again.

"Hn, you and what army!"

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!" Yusuke screamed at the top of his lungs, "Someone has entered the ring." He cried as the four turned to see a small figure jump to the center of the ring, violet hair streaming out behind her as she cut elegant flips before landing lightly on her feet.

"It seems that Razi has returned from her vacation and is ready to fight!" Koto cheered from the sidelines, waving towards Juri to start the match.

"RAZI!" Yusuke, getting a surge of energy, ran towards the ring in an angry fury, "Get your short ass out of that ring now, or I swear I'll drag you out myself!"

He hopped into the ring, but was quickly shoved out by Juri, who was waving her index finger in his face. "I'm sorry sir, but I can't let you in this ring, if you continue to protest I will have to disqualify you."

"We just want her out of the ring, can't you do that?" Kuwabara pleaded as he held up the now exhausted Yusuke.

"Um, gee, I know I remember that being in the rule book..." she said, slightly beating her head with her handheld microphone, causing it to screech loudly.

"Um, Juri, Rule 657.92B." Koto sighed, massaging her temples at her incompetent counterpart.

"Oh yes, Rule 657.92B: A fighter once entering the ring is not allowed to leave unless said fighter gives up, stays unconscious for ten counts, or is killed." she quoted, giving a thumbs up to Koto.

"So what does that mean?" Kuwabara asked dumbfounded by what the referee girl had said.

"It means it Razi doesn't win, we lose." Kurama stated flatly, staring at you, concern flowing from his every pore.

'Shit, what have I gotten myself into?" She mentally asked herself as she stared down her opponent, ready for the starting whistle.


	19. Chapter 18

Sahara grinned nervously towards her now furious teammates before turning her gaze to the tall demon who stood before her. She had to admit, he didn't seem to tough, but then again after seeing what his team had done to hers, well she was a little scared. Her hands began to tremble ever so slightly at the thought of the battle that she was about to begin.

'Damn, why did I have to pick today to be cocky?' She mentally cursed herself, turning her gaze back to her opponent who was smirking wickedly at her.

He didn't seem like a tough opponent, sure he was tall, but that was about all he had going for him. He wasn't overly muscular, and didn't look like he had all that much experience when it came to physical battle. His pale blue skin gave him a very sickly appearance when clashed with his bright orange hair. His small frame almost assured that he would be light on his feet, she noted as she took her stance, noticing that Juri was stumbling her way to the center of the ring.

"Ready?" Juri called to the two combatants, the crowd once more erupting into a frenzy of death threats for Sahara and the rest of team Urameshi. Juri shuddered a bit at all the threats, her ears almost plastered against her head as she began to fear that the demons would attack her if this fight didn't go as they wanted.

"Juri, we are waiting for you signal." Koto called to her now frozen teammate, wondering just what was keeping her from beginning what was shaping up to be one of the most exciting fights in the entire tournament.

"Right, BEGIN!" Juri shouted, and Jiro sank quickly into his shadows, catching Sahara completely off guard.

"Damn, a shadow demon." Sahara cursed out loud as she began to dart violently around the ring, careful not to stay in one place to long for fear that Jiro would use her own shadow to sneak up on her.

The battle remained this way for several minutes, Sahara darting from one side of the ring to the other, trying to stay away from any shadow that Jiro may have been lurking in. The bright lights that illuminated the stadium, however, made this an extremely difficult task and it wasn't to long before Sahara was completely winded, only running at half speed.

With a crushing blow, Jiro leapt from Juri's shadow and landed a hard kick to Sahara's still injured back, causing her to wail in pain and fall to her knees, gripping her sides tightly, waiting for the pain to pass. Jiro grinned at the pain that he caused his opponent and kicked her once more before he sank into the small shadow beside her. However, Sahara was to quick for him and grasped his bright orange hair between her fingers tightly, keeping him from descending any further.

She smirked at the surprised look on the demons face as she slowly pulled him from the shadowy depths. She gave a few firm kicks to his abdomen, causing him to cough up a small amount of blood before her. The crowd went wild over this, actually cheering for Sahara to continue and to give them more blood.

This of course, got the young fox demon Koto very excited as well. "I LOVE IT FOLKS!" She cheered loudly into the microphone, causing it to hiss loudly, "Razi has got it all! Beauty, brains, charm, and of course the ability to kick anyone's butt! But I don't know how long she can last…"

"SHOVE IT FOXY!" Kagami screamed out over the roar the crowd, "IF YOU DON'T I'LL MAKE YOU EAT YOUR PRECIOUS MICROPHONE!" The violet haired girl screamed out again, causing all of her friends to blush violently around her as she began to chant once more, waving her banner proudly.

Sahara grinned at Kagami as she began to assault Jiro once more with an elegant display of punches and kicks that moved so quickly that Juri gave up on trying to call the fight. Sahara couldn't help but think that she was feeling better now than she had in the entire tournament, as she landed a hard kick to Jiro's chest causing him to fly across the ring, nearly taking Juri with him.

"Very good, Razi," a very breathless Jiro chuckled as he lifted his hands to the sky, his bright blue eyes becoming as black as the pupil in the center of them. Suddenly, one of the lights behind him shattered, causing glass to rain down on the spectators below, and a look of horror to cross Sahara's face. "Don't forget what I am though, Shadow demons always have the advantage in the shadows."

It wasn't long before the rest of the lights in the stadium had followed suit of the first and left the entire stadium cloaked in darkness. The crowd erupted into a fit of dismay at it being so dark and none of them being aware of what was going on around them. Sahara trembled slightly as she tried her best to sense where Jiro was, desperately trying to think of a way that she could get out of the mess she was currently in.

"Everyone, please remain calm!" Koto cried out from somewhere in the darkness, causing a bit of a hush to fall over the crowd. "I assure you that the lights will be operational as soon as possible, until then, PLEASE STAY SEATED!" She screamed out into the system, causing all demons to roar in disapproval of being left in the dark when it came to the state of the battle.

"Just think Razi," Jiro taunted from within the blackness, causing Sahara to fidget violently, preparing herself mentally for a surprise attack. "One moment I could be on one side of the ring." He chuckled quietly, "And the next I could have my shadow sword at your neck, ready to pierce that delicate skin of yours."

He licked her ear seductively, obviously enjoying the fear that he was instilling in the young girl who was now completely at his mercy. She shuddered at his touch, trying to find some way, think of some technique that would get her out of this. He stood there for the longest time, holding Sahara's body close to his, enjoying the feel of her soft curves against him, almost allowing his primal instincts to overtake his mission.

He violently shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts as he leaned down and smelled her hair, before whispering once more, "Don't be afraid, Razi, I'll end this quickly." He reassured the trembling girl as he pressed the blade into her neck harder drawing blood from the site.

'Damn, what can I do?' Sahara thought frantically to herself, feeling the blade tearing deeper into her flesh, coming dangerously close to her airways, which would effectively end her life in a matter of moments. Sahara closed her eyes tightly and held her breath, hoping that her death would be a quick one.

That was when the blade froze in it's place, not delving any farther into her neck. Sahara opened on of her amber eyes and gazed around at the dark ring around her, hoping to find some reason that Jiro may have stopped. The crowd had become completely silent, everything around her had become completely still. Sahara smirked to herself, glad that she had finally mastered the technique she had been working on for so long as she wrenched herself out of Jiro's grasp and made her way to the other side of the ring before releasing her breath, allowing everything to return to normal.

"Well, folks, thank the repair crew!" Koto cheered, glad that they had finally managed to fix one of the stadium lights, "We can finally see that our combatants are both still alive, although Razi has one hell of a cut on her neck! It saddens me to think we missed the infliction of that injury!"

"You are absolutely heartless, Koto!" Botan screamed out, Kagami's nature beginning to rub off on the ferry girl, as she joined in the waiving of the banner and the singing of Kagami's crudely written chant.

"What the hell!" A frustrated Jiro screamed out, now barely illuminated by the one set of lights that had been repair, "How the hell did you do that?" he asked across the ring, allowing his shadow sword to dissipate.

"It's a little technique that I've been perfecting called the Zeitfrost." She smirked at her now livid opponent, "It's quite a useful defense spell really, but I'm sure that you already gathered that." She panted lightly, shocked that the defensive spell had taken so much out of her already weakened body.

"You little bitch," Jiro spat a bit of blood out of his mouth as he made his way closer to her, "Where would you have learned a technique like that? That was a signature move of the Toki."

"That's right." She admitted, causing all of her teammates to put themselves at the ready to defend her, should her identity be revealed, "I had acquaintances that lived within the Toki kingdom that taught me that technique."

"Well, let's see what else these people may have taught you," Jiro smirked as he sank back into his shadow, causing Sahara to once again go on the defensive, her tired body trembling violently as she began to dash frantically around the ring once more.

"What's the Zeitfrost?" Kuwabara asked his group of teammates, who were all huddled close to the ring, trying to keep up with what was going on in the ring in the dim lighting. "Come on Kurama, you have to know."

"Roughly translated, it means time freeze," Kurama said, never averting his gaze from the ring as he watch Sahara run back and forth, "It's a technique that is completely unique to the Toki people, which freezes time while the user holds their breath in order to escape. The stronger the user, the larger the area that they can freeze."

"Wow, I bet that could be a really handy trick in a tight spot," Yusuke said from beside Kuwabara, flinching slightly as Sahara took a hard kick to the face.

"True, but there is a catch" Kurama said quickly, catching the concerned looks of both Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"What's that?" Kuwabara asked, earning a loud grunt from Hiei.

"Fool, just look at the girl" Hiei said, motioning towards were Sahara barely stood in the ring, her knees quaking beneath her, threatening to give out at any possible moment. "You are the one with the gift to see her energy, right? Surely you have sensed the sharp fall in her power since she used that attack."

Kuwabara's beady black eyes stared at Hiei for a moment more before turning his gaze back to Sahara, hoping that the fire demon's analysis was wrong. However, Sahara's aura, which usually swam vividly around her in a see of bright yellow, was now a small wisp of it's normal flame, and a very dull yellow color.

"We're screwed, aren't we?" Yusuke asked his now silently standing partner as they continued to gaze at the weakening Sahara.

'Damn, that attack really took it out of me,' Sahara thought to herself, as she managed to dodge another kick to the face by mere centimeters, 'I just don't understand why it took so much this time to control it.'

"What's wrong Razi?" Jiro stopped moving from the shadows just long enough to taunt her, "Have you finally accepted that this is where you will die, and become afraid?" He smirked broadly at the young girl before him, who had sank to her knees, her energy fading fast.

"No, you fool, I don't fear death," She coughed out, never looking up at him, her eyes completely focused on the ground beneath her, "However, I think that you should, considering just what you are up against."

"Oh really?" He bore his fangs, licking them maliciously as if he was planning the sink his teeth into her exposed flesh. "And why is that?" he asked, taking a firm grasp on her hair and pulling her up by it, until she was in a standing position.

"For even the shadows have their weakness." She said quietly as she flung her hands to the sky, focusing all the energy that she had left into her hands, and directing it into the clouds that were covering the sky above her.

"Oh, look, this little demoness thinks that she can move the clouds," He smiled as he landed another hard punch to her face, causing blood to fly from her nose and spatter onto the pavement. "Sorry my sexy little one, but with the amount of energy you have left, I would be shocked if you could even move the leaves on the ground." He landed a hard kick to her stomach, causing her to cough up blood onto the ring, but she never let her hands drop.

"Fool," She managed to cough out as she struggled to get back on her feet, "Who said I was trying to move the clouds?" She smiled broadly as a bright sunbeam burst through the clouds and landed right in the center of the ring, illuminating much of it.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Jiro shouted, noticing that he had no where to retreat to, launched an all out assault on Sahara's face, hoping that the strength of his blows would be enough to stop her from taking away all of his available hiding places.

"UNBELIEVEABLE!" Koto shouted as she flipped over onto the side wall, allowing her feet to dangle over the edge, hoping the raised platform would give her a better view. "Jiro has just unleashed a ferocious attack on Razi, and yet the young demon is just sitting there letting him hit her! I don't know about you folks, but I'm loving the sight of her trying to bring light through those clouds."

"I hate to inform you Jiro," A now, apparently much stronger Sahara stood before Jiro, causing the shadow demon to back of slightly, "Those meager attacks won't be enough to save you now." She smiled brightly at him, even as the blood from her nose oozed down the side of her face.

"What the hell are you talking about? I have the upper hand here!" Jiro shouted in her face, adding one final kick to her back to finish off his assault.

"Allow me to demonstrate, my new favorite technique. It's called Sonneneruption, and I think that you will enjoy it." She smiled once more at him before bringing her arms down towards the ground, causing the sun to burst through the thick clouds with great intensity flooding the stadium with light. Jiro was temporarily blinded and fell to the ground, clutching his eyes, wailing at the pain she had dealt him with just one attack.

"RAZI! FINISH THIS NOW!" Yusuke shouted from the sidelines, as the energized Sahara, charged towards Jiro, kicking him hard in the stomach, several times as she rebounded back across the ring, a bright green aura mingling around her own golden one as she turned her face to the sky.

"SHOOTING STAR!" she cried out to the heavens, seeing her bird soaring across the open blue sky, "I must ask you once more! Please, descend and destroy the demon before me!"

The bird's melodic cry sounded throughout the stadium as it soared high into the sky, until out of sight. Suddenly, the bright sky became dark, and filled with millions of stars that shown brightly in the clear night air. The bird descended from it's place on high, and landed on her shoulder, it's long blue tail feathers draping around her as she stroked it's head gently. The onlookers gasped seeing the aura around her body go completely green as she lifted her hands to the sky and brought them back down again, causing a rainstorm of meteorites to fall on Jiro, killing him quickly.

As soon as the attack ended, Shooting Star sounded her cry and flew back off into the vast dark sky, which quickly lightened again. Sahara shook her head violently and looked around at her surroundings. 'It must have happened again,' she thought to herself, surveying the damage that had been done to not only Jiro, but the rest of the ring. She smirked as she saw Juri make her way over to the mangled body of Jiro but did not wait to hear the ruling as she made her way over to the team.

"Sahara!" Kuwabara roared as he scooped her up in his arms, swing her around lightly, "Are you ok? That was one hell of an attack back there, you should probably be resting, you know?"

"It's ok, Kuwabara," She said quickly, trying to wriggled free of the giants gentle grasp, "It's funny, but I actually feel better now than I did when I entered the ring." She smiled brightly as she punched him lightly in the shoulder, making him squeal in pain and release her from his death grip.

"Well folks, it seems as though Team Urameshi has a seat in the final round, as if there was ever any doubt!" Juri called from the center ring, winking towards Kurama who turned a very bright shade of red.

"Come on you four," Kurama said, clearing his throat, "Let's get back to Botan and Yukina and get these wounds treated." He said quickly, helping Yusuke get to his feet again, "Hiei, I want you to take Sahara, she sustained quite a bit of damage in that last fight."

"Kurama, what damage are you talking about?" Kuwabara asked, causing the entire team to whip there heads around and stare at Kuwabara.

"What are you talking about Kuwabara?" Sahara asked loudly, pointing to various spots on her body, "Only the injuries on half of my body! Goodness, are you really that blind, dear?"

"Actually, Sahara, he's right," Yusuke said, glancing over at the confused girl, "there isn't a scratch on you."

"What are you talking about? I felt him cut me! I saw the blood!" She cried out, confused as to whether they were joking or if they were serious.

"Idiot, you are completely healed." Hiei grunted as he grasped one of her hands firmly and forced it to her face. What should have been a battered and bruised mass of blood looked as if it had never been fighting that day. The only thing that gave it away was the residual bloodstains that still lingered from the wounds. She gasped and brought her hand to her neck, touching the place where a deep wound should have been, and finding her flesh completely intact.

"What the hell is going on here?" She asked Kurama, apparently frightened by what was going on within her body.

"I don't know, Sahara, but we should probably go back and ask Koenma, he may know something." Kurama smiled at the young girl as he led the battered team back to their rooms in the hotel.


	20. Chapter 19

Sahara gazed down at her seemingly unscathed hands as the group trudged up the steep flight of stairs as they made their way to the room. She didn't understand how one moment, she felt as if she was going to die from the energy loss and the next she was perfectly healed. She mulled over these thoughts again and again, only to be pulled from her deepening thoughts by the incessant complaining of one of her fellow teammates.

"DAMMIT URAMESHI!" Kuwabara shouted at his teammate, his voice reverberating off the cinderblock walls of the stairwell making Sahara wince slightly and shoot a glare at him reminding him to watch his volume, "You just had to take the stairs, didn't you?" Kuwabara questioned in a much softer tone as he grasped his left side, winded from the long climb up the stairs.

Sahara smirked as she listened to the two boys go at it, both in much softer tones than they usually would as if they were afraid she would murder them should they shout again. Their voices soon began to fade from her thoughts as her mind drifted back to the many things that had occurred in such a short while. She allowed her hand to drift slowly up from it's rightful place at her side and run a finger along the same outline where Jiro had once pressed his shadow blade.

'I know I'm not crazy,' She repeated to herself mentally for the umpteenth time, 'I know his blade pierced my skin, I felt it.' she traced over the invisible wound once more, her eyebrows furrowed as she ran over all the possibilities in her head. 'I guess I could have imagined it, but that still doesn't explain how all those other injuries vanished…'

However, before she could complete her last thought, something alerted her to the fact that there was a presence in her head that didn't belong there. She allowed her gaze to shift slightly to the right to see Hiei, walking as he normally would with his eyes glaring at the path ahead, his hands shoved in his pockets. She smirked noticing that there was a slight glow to the bandana that he used to keep his jagan hidden, and called out to him.

'What is it that you need Hiei?' She questioned her silent partner, cocking her head in his direction and waiting for his response.

It was as if a great weight had been lifted from her mind as he made a quick exit, making sure not to make eye contact with the young girl as he scuffed his boots along the floor. She began to giggle out loud when she noticed the dim red tinge that had flooded his face after her discovery.

This sudden outburst of giggles caused three of her four teammates to stop their tireless trek and turn to look at her, Yusuke stepping forward and waving and hand in her face. "Sahara, are you in there?" He questioned, causing her amber eyes to snap open and bright blush to appear on her cheeks when she saw they were all staring at her.

"Sorry guys," She smiled brightly, gently pushing a stray piece of hair back behind her ears.

"Sometimes, I worry about what goes on in that head of yours, Sahara," Kuwabara grumbled loudly, winking at Sahara, who was now trying to pout.

"I can assure you, you don't want to know." Hiei said sternly as he made his way out of the stairwell and into the hallway that lead to their room.

"Oh," Yusuke's eyes cut towards Sahara, before landing on Hiei's back once more. He stooped down to whisper in Sahara's ear, "Hiei's been spying on you." He grinned at the blushing princess causing Kuwabara and Kurama to giggle lightly.

"Hope the little princess hasn't been having dirty thoughts about any of us." Kuwabara mocked her even further as he bent down to pinch her cheeks, much as an older woman would do to a small child, "Hiei may just give away all of your secrets, you better watch out!"

This thought caused Sahara to go into a frenzy of worry. Just what all had Hiei learned in the few times that he invaded the sanctity of her mind? She knew of at least two times that he had entered there without her permission, who was to say that he hadn't done it many other times and she hadn't noticed. Her eyes grew wide as all of the possible scenarios played throughout her mind as she tried to make sense of why Hiei would be so interested in her thoughts.

Kurama, noticing Sahara's frantic state, placed his hands on her shoulders, feeling her tense sharply, "I don't think Hiei would reveal your secrets, Sahara, he understands the sanctity of another persons innermost thoughts." He smiled down at her, receiving a bright smile back before he fished his key from his pocket and let the group in.

Hiei made his way hastily to his room and shut the door hard behind him, showing his disapproval of the group discussing his talents so openly with Sahara. Yusuke, however, would not drop the subject and started up once again when he knew that Hiei was safely out of hearing range.

"Oh come on Kurama," Yusuke jeered as he plopped down beside Kuwabara on the couch, "You can't tell me that if Hiei knew what Sahara truly thought of you, that you wouldn't try to weasel it out of him." He grinned at the now statue-still Sahara who was glaring at the leader of the group, while anxiously awaiting Kurama's answer.

"I would not," Kurama spoke firmly to his teammate, causing Sahara to heave a huge sigh of relief from behind him. "It would be an invasion of her privacy and I don't agree with the way that Hiei is tapping into her mind either." Kurama gazed down the hallway glaring at his friends bedroom door in disgust.

"Ok, Kurama, what if she had a crush on you?" Kuwabara asked as he draped his feet over the arm of the couch, his focus never leaving Kurama's ever reddening face.

"This is where I leave to take a shower," Sahara giggled nervously and dashed from the room, hoping that she had gotten out quick enough to hide her now very red face.

"Well, that was weird, even for her." Kuwabara sighed as he and the other two boys continued to stare down the long hallway for a moment thinking of what her reaction could have meant.

Yusuke began to chuckle madly, causing his teammates to turn their focus to him, their eyes wide with confusion as they waited for the leader of their team to calm down so he could explain himself. "Oh my gosh, you two don't get it do you?" He asked looking at their confused faces, "She totally digs one of us." He said with a triumphant smile placing his arms behind his head and leaning back.

"Yeah, but which one of us is it?" Kuwabara pondered out loud as he began to mull the facts over in his head.

Kurama sat in silence, barely listening to his teammates who had begun to discuss the situation openly in the background. It almost embarrassed him that he, the one who was trying to protect Sahara's privacy, now wanted to know just as much about her personal interest as the other two.

He then pondered the possibility that maybe the Princess may have fallen for him, which made his face heat up a bit. Kurama couldn't help but hope that was the case because he had absolutely fallen for her charm and her passion to stand up for what she believed. Secretly, he hoped that he was the choice he had made, however, something aching in his gut assured him that it was not meant to be.

"Kurama, what do you think?" Kurama was jolted from his thoughts by Yusuke's question, shocking him a bit.

"I really don't think that it's any of our…"

"I bet it's you, Kurama." Kuwabara interrupted and winked towards his companion causing a bright red blush to form once again on his cheeks. "You are such a ladies man."

"Yeah," Yusuke grinned as he stood from his seat and in the best impersonation voice of Sahara that he could muster, "Kurama, would you be my night in shining armor and help me restore the Toki Kingdom from the ashes?" He began to plead as he got down on one knee, forcing back a laugh as he saw Kurama's bright jade eyes go wide which earned a roaring fit of laughter from Kuwabara.

"Ahem," a quiet coughed from behind the three silenced the chaos for a brief moment, "If you three are done with your little game of 'Charades' I need to talk to Sahara, will one of you find her for me?" Koenma question as he made his way over to sit beside the still very red Kurama.

"I'm sorry Koenma," Kurama managed to stutter out as he tried to calm himself, "Sahara is in the shower."

"Oh, well I will wait then," Koenma smiled towards Kurama and leaned back into the soft couch, "Yusuke, find Hiei. I need to speak to all five of you about an incident that occurred at the match today."

Yusuke made a move to leave, however before he could exit, Hiei shoved his way past the much taller detective and into the room, instinctively heading towards his coveted spot on the windowsill.

"Now that is what I call a hot shower!" Sahara's now very relaxed voice flowed through the hotel room and into the living area where the other five were seated. She made her way anxiously toward the living room, praying that the discussion of her romantic interest had long since been dropped.

"Ah, Sahara, you are just the person I wanted to see." Koenma's voice was relatively cheerful as he watched her make her way into the living room and take a seat on the footstool, turning her bright amber eyes to meet his brown ones.

"Oh? What about?" She questioned as she began to brush out her still dripping hair. She was glad that she and Koenma had straightened their situation out and now she felt like she could finally begin to trust him once more.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD THE DIAMENTE?" Koenma's booming voice made the glasses that sat on the coffee table in front of him shake violently. The entire room fell completely silent once more as the four boys all turned their eyes to Sahara who was now fuming.

'How could he have done something like this?' Sahara ranted in her mind as she stared at Koenma's looming face. She couldn't believe she had allowed herself to be sucked in to a false assumption with him. "What are you talking about, Koenma?" She question him, trying to not to sound as if her head were about to explode.

"There was a huge energy reading very similar to that of the Diamente during your fight with Jiro," Koenma sat back for a moment, mentally lecturing himself for shaking his and Sahara's already very unstable relationship. "You mean to say that you don't have it?"

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Sahara sighed in utter disgust at the Prince who had once again jumped to conclusions, "I haven't seen that thing in almost three years. Not since I last used it." She said quickly as she twisted her hair up into a low, sloppy bun.

"I think your sensor is broken," Hiei growled from the windowsill, earning a sharp glare from Koenma which he returned with a smirk. "This would not be the first time you would have sent us off of inaccurate data. Either get one of your crackpot scientist to fix the damn thing, or you can leave me out of this mission."

His smirked deepened as he saw a small vein appear on Koenma's forehead as the young prince mulled over the demand he had just received. However, Hiei quickly grew bored with Koenma's groaning and took his leave.

"I guess Hiei could be right," Koenma finally admitted to himself, placing his head in his hands, "I'll have one of them look into it first thing in the morning." He rose from where he had been sitting and made his way to the door, but was abruptly stopped by four very enthusiastic girls, carrying mountains of snacks.

"Oh Koenma, please stay!" Botan's bright pink eyes pleaded with her boss as she tried to drag him back to the couch, "The girls and I just wanted to bring the snacks by to wish the team good luck for tomorrow!" She cheered as she emptied the contents of her bag onto the coffee table, grinning at the now very excited Yusuke who dove for the box of powdered donuts.

"PUU!" A soft, high-pitched voice came from across the room and Sahara noticed as the small penguin looking creature that had been resting in Keiko's arms began to make it's way towards her.

"Woah!" She said loudly as she extended her arms out to catch the small creature, instinctively holding him close to her, "This stuffed animal can talk?" She asked out loud, causing everyone, except for Yusuke, to erupt into a fit of laughter as Sahara began to examine the small creature.

"His name is Puu," Said a very livid Yusuke as he jerked Puu from her hands and placed him on his shoulder, "And he is a spirit beast. NOT A TOY!" Puu shook his head at the loud tone his master took and made his way back to Sahara's arms once more, causing everyone to erupt once more.

"So, now that we've broken the ice," A very enthusiastic Kagami called out above the still strong laughter, "Who would like to play a few hands of cards?" She grinned as she pulled a deck of multicolor cards from her jacket pocket.

"Look what I brought for you, Kazuma," Yukina smiled as she pulled large bag of assorted chocolate treats from her stash, "I figured I could never go wrong getting all of this chocolate!"

"Why thank you my love!" Kuwabara cheered as he took the bag of chocolate in one hand and both of Yukina's hands in the other, his large hand completely engulfing both of hers and causing her to blush furiously in front of everyone.

She moved quickly to the coffee table and helped Sahara who had begun unloading the rest of the snacks into assorted piles on the floor. Yukina sighed heavily when she noticed the small tub of ice cream that she had picked out being pushed to the side.

Her sighs did not go unnoticed. "What's wrong dear?" Sahara questioned as she continued moving the snacks from the table to the floor.

"It's just that…I bought that ice cream for Hiei," Yukina said sighing once more as she motioned to the ice cream that now sat in a pile far away from the rest of the snacks, "It's his favorite treat, but he's not here."

"Would you like for me to take it to him?" Sahara asked, seeing Yukina's saddened face instantly light up. "I have a feeling I know where he is, be back in a minute!" She exclaimed as she scooped up the ice cream and ran out the door.

She ran the long flight of stairs and out one of the emergency exits into the forest that surrounded the hotel, clutching the ice cream to her body for fear that she would drop it. She didn't care that it was getting quite cool outside as autumn was fully in the air, all that mattered to her in that moment was making sure that Hiei received Yukina's gift.

She came to skidding halt at the base of a large tree, gazing up into the branches. "HIEI!" She called up, but received no answer. "Honestly, Hiei, if you don't want to be found, pick a higher branch! I can see you!"

"What do you want?" He asked, dropping down behind her suddenly, making her jump and nearly toss the ice cream. This earned a deep smirk from the fire demon who's ruby eyes gleamed in the full moon's light.

"I wanted to see if you would like to join us." She offered, knowing full well what his answer would be.

"I would rather eat my katana," He replied flatly as visions of the overly hyper reaper danced through his head, making him shuddered with disgust.

"Oh well," Sahara sighed, turning to face him for a brief moment in order to shove the carton of ice cream into his arms. "Here you go, I thought that you might want this gift from your sister."

His bright red eyes stared into her amber ones for the longest time, darting between anger that she had figured it out and confusion as to how. He turned his gaze to the ice cream that was now rest in his arms, "How do you know?"

"What, you can't tell me it's some sort of big secret." She said cheerily, placing her hand gently on his shoulder making him pull away. "Oh my gosh, it is?" She asked, placing her hands over her mouth at the realization.

"Yes, and you would do well to remember it." Hiei growled lowly, causing her skin to burst with goose bumps.

"Oh, well, I do hope I don't accidentally blab tonight," she grinned broadly at the now furious Hiei as she took a few steps towards the hotel, "They did bring alcohol, and I'm not very good at holding my liquor." She smiled back at him as she rushed off in the direction of the hotel, watching the door growing closer and closer in her sights.

However, she came to a sharp halt when she noticed that Hiei was leaning against the door, katana drawn at the ready. "You better not say anything. Or I will kill you." He threatened pushing his katana closer to her face.

She sighed, saddened that Hiei had caught on to her plan, but then held up her pinky finger. "It's a pinky promise." She smiled seeing the shocked looked on Hiei's face as he stared at her finger, disgusted with these ridiculous human traditions. "You better do it Hiei, I don't have very much to lose. I may just take you up on your offer so that Yukina will finally know who her brother is."

Hiei placed his blade back in it's sheath and smirked at the young girl who stood before him. "For a former princess, and a human no less, you think like a demon." Sahara grinned when she realized that this was the highest form of complement that anyone would ever receive from Hiei. "Fine," He said quickly as he wrapped his scarred pinky around hers.

"Thank you, Hiei," Sahara said quietly, becoming overwhelmed with emotion, threw her arms around Hiei's neck and gave him a tight squeeze before dashing off into the hotel, embarrassed for what she had done.

Why had she done that? She asked herself what seemed to be millions of times as she ran up the flights of stairs. Hiei was not a touchy person, so why would she hug him, of all the people, why him? She continued to mentally kick herself for her poor judgment until she burst through the door into their room, where she was met by many stares from her teammates.

"Sahara! There you are!" Kagami chimed as she lay down her royal flush, causing everyone at the table to groan and toss their cards to the center.

"What did you do, sneak off for a little quickie with Hiei?" Yusuke questioned, causing her face to turn bright red as she thought of the little encounter once again. "You DID DIDN'T YOU!"

"Yusuke! You Pervert!" Keiko cried out as she began to slap Yusuke repeatedly for asking such questions, causing everyone to erupt once more into a fit of laughter.

Sahara grinned as she glanced around the room, looking at the many friends she had made over the last few months. She would have never told anyone, but when she was with all of them, it was almost as if she was back home in the land of the Toki before that day when things went so horribly wrong. She couldn't help but wonder to herself as she sat between Yukina and Yusuke at the card game, how long would things remain the way they were.


	21. Chapter 20

"Winner of the fourth match of the final round, HIEI!" Juri cheered into the microphone, while the remaining crowd showed it's appreciation of such a gruesome battle. Even as Hiei was attempting to make his way out of the completely demolished ring, slight whispers of his fabled dragon drifted on the light breeze.

He stumbled slightly, his vision blurring as he felt himself falling closer and closer to the pavement below. He braced himself for impact, but it never came. He opened his eyes again, feeling a soft but still firm grip wrapped tightly around his waist, pulling him from the ring and closer to his teammates.

"I don't need your help," was all he could whisper to her, trying his best to wriggle free of the tight grip she had on him. However, Sahara did not give into his demanding struggle until the fire demon finally collapsed, exhausted from energy loss.

"Yes you do, Hiei," she cooed softly in his ear, making all the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention. "You are in no condition to be walking around, so just calm down, I'll have you to the others in a moment, then Yukina and Botan can focus on curing after the next match." She whispered again, trying to hide the fact that she was trembling from the demon who now rested his weary head against her shoulder.

She wished that she call the fear that had begun to engulf the entire body throughout the last four matches stage fright, truth be told it could be a small amount of what was bothering her. However, something about the situation at hand struck Sahara as very strange. This team they were fighting, Tsubasa, had begun with only four members, yet managed to wrangle a final team member within moments of the final fight.

She gently put Hiei against the wall beside Yusuke and stood beside them for a brief moment, eyes searching for any signs of the fifth and final member of the team. Her hands shook nervously once more as she began to pray to anyone that would help her to calm her nerves and allow her to face her final fight and win, for the good of her team, who had fought so viciously in the final round.

"Well folks, that win from Hiei leaves the score at two-two!" Koto cheered into the microphone, enjoying the roaring crowd that followed her announcement. She tossed her microphone high into the air as she stood on her desk, hoping to get the crowd more excited about the match, "The last fight will be between, Razi, and the mysterious fighter from Team Tsubasa!"

Sahara shuddered once more, feeling her body instantly growing colder as if someone slid a chunk of ice down her spine. She had only felt this feeling once more in her life, but that was a much darker day than today, and she hoped to be rid of those memories after the next match.

"As you know, the final battle is usually saved for the team leaders," Koto's ears went flat as she shot the severely injured Yusuke a glare, which he returned, "But, by special request of the tournament committee, this shall be the final match!" She shouted into the microphone, earning a glare from Sahara. "And I can see the bloodlust in Razi's eyes already, she wants revenge for her severely damaged counterparts!"

"Why don't you take that microphone of yours and stick it where the sun don't shine!" Kagami's furious tones came rushing from the remaining south stands, causing Koto's bright blue eyes to narrow into slits. Kagami grinned at the obvious fury that flowed from Koto's death glare and began to wave her banner high in the air, chanting her song.

"And just WHO might you be?" The fox questioned, not only baffled by this person's sudden outburst, but by the fact that she was waving a bright purple banner, proudly supporting a team made of two humans and three demon traitors.

"I'm the leader of the Team Urameshi cheerleading squad!" She smiled down at Koto, purple eyes glinting in the bright stadium lights as she urged the other three girls to join her. "Our newest cheer girls! ONE TWO THREE GO!"

Razi is the very best

Much better than all the rest

Come on team give her all you got

She'll show you why she's hot

In the end there will be no doubt

What our team is all about

So when this one is beaten for all to see

We will shout in VICTORY!

Sahara blushed madly at the fact that the chant began with her name, and did almost anything she could to hide her face from the stares that were coming down from the demons.

"Well, uh, there you have it folks!" Koto sat back down in her chair, massaging her temples profusely, looking up at the still waving banner and sighing. 'They don't pay me enough for this.' Koto shook her head gazing up at the four girls who were still shouting their chant at the top of their lungs.

"What an idiot," Hiei muttered causing Kurama to snicker slightly and making the blush on Sahara's face spread down to her neck.

"Will the final two fighters please enter the ring?" Juri asked softly, her voice squeaking a bit showing how afraid she still was after Hiei's sudden outburst in the last match, but covering it with a bright smile.

"Well, I guess this is it." Sahara managed to breathe out, her voice shaking as she spoke while she took a few steps toward the ring.

"Would you calm down, you shouldn't have any problems with this last match, I can't even sense the energy of this last guy," Kuwabara grumbled, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Still, be careful," Kurama said quietly, his eyes darting around the ring as if he sensed the same things Sahara had been sensing, "I don't like this situation. And who knows what they will try to pull with the rest of us incapacitated."

"Don't worry Kurama," Yusuke groaned as he lifted his severely injured hand and placed it on his friends shoulder, "Our little Sahara can take care of herself, you just have to trust her abilities."

"Would the final fighters PLEASE enter the ring?!" Juri's anger was becoming impatient with the pep talk the team was giving Sakura. Her blue tail swung violently behind her as she continued staring not only at Team Urameshi, but glancing back towards Team Tsubasa for any signs of their leader.

"Don't worry, Kurama," Sahara spoke softly, giving Kurama a reassuring grin, "You have nothing to fear. I will be fine." She tried to hide the fact that she was trembling more with each passing moment by turning quickly and leaping into what remained of the ring.

She smiled at the now somewhat satisfied Juri as she took her place beside and waited for her opponent to show. Juri checked her bright pink watch on last time, and raised her hand high into the air, "I'm afraid since Team Tsubasa has not produced a fighter, the official winner is…"

"I'm here," a soft voice called from Koto's microphone, calling an immediate hush to fall around the stadium. Sahara's voice leapt with fear as she stood there, gazing into the harsh glare of her final opponent. Mukuro.

"Your Grace!" A very nervous Koto bowed down nervously at Mukuro's feet, silently praying that Mukuro would not end her life right there. "Why….have you graced used with your presence?" She questioned, hoping she had not been to forward with the most notorious demon in all existence.

"Why, I'm here to fight Razi, little fox," Mukuro snickered quietly as she patted Koto's head, Koto's ears instantly flattening, showing her disapproval. Murkuo's eyes narrowed at the sight of this and she landed a fierce kick to Koto's abdomen, causing the fox girl to cry out in pain. She smirked at her small demon companion, who was now curled in a tight ball, nursing the wound she had just been inflicted, and tossed the microphone down to her and made her way towards the center of the ring.

"Razi, please," Juri begged Sahara, bending down so that she could stare into her eyes, Juri's dark blue eyes filling with tears, "Please, don't let her kill me." She whispered, causing Sahara to instinctively place her tiny hands on Juri's exposed shoulders.

"Don't worry. She'll have to kill me before she can get to you, and I promise you that's not going to happen," Sahara smiled at the sudden rush of relief that flooded the announcer's young face, but was taken aback when Mukuro suddenly leaped into the ring, making Juri squeal slightly prostrate before her queen.

"Hello there, Razi," Mukuro said softly, her one blue eye glinting in the lights as she began to circle her opponent. "Get up you fool," she demanded making Juri leap back into a standing position, "I want you to watch this, it will be quick."

"I thought you wanted to fight me outside of the ring," Sahara said firmly, trying to calm herself with a few deep breaths but never allowing her amber gaze to leave Mukuro's face, "Why would you want to bring it here?"

"Just wanted to add a little more fun to our game." She smirked and quickly darted off at a speed that Hiei himself couldn't trace.

"Shit," Sahara cursed out loud as she began to search every corner of the stadium, for some physical sign of Mukuro.

"Apparently the fight has begun!" Juri shouted into the microphone as loads of cheers for Mukuro sounded throughout the stadium, making it very hard for Sahara to hear and track her movements.

Suddenly, Sahara's face was met by a hard kick to her jaw line, courtesy of the grinning Mukuro, sending Sahara flying into the wall opposite her teammates. They watched in horror as Mukuro unleashed a barrage of punches into Sahara's chest, seeing Sahara's body lurch forward with every hit. She smirked broadly down at her victim, who was now spitting up copious amounts of blood onto her boots before grabbing her by her long, violet hair and tossing her back to the ring.

"MUKURO!" Sahara turned her head in time to see a very frantic Kagami bounding down the stairs towards the ring, "Stop hurting her right now! Haven't you caused her enough pain?" She questioned as she gripped the wall around the ring tightly, to prevent Botan and Keiko from dragging her back to her seat.

"Kagami, listen, you've got to calm down!" Botan shouted at the purple headed girl, he hands wrapped firmly around her waist as she and Keiko prepared to pull, "You can't help her if you are dead!"

"Yes, and if you keep saying things like that, you will be," Keiko said nervously as they began to pry Kagami from the wall, very wary of the demons that were slowly beginning to surround their little group.

"Seems to me that little friend of yours has quite a mouth on her," Mukuro cooed quietly, forming a bright red energy blast in her hand, aiming it towards the group of girls who were still arguing, "Maybe I should shut that mouth of hers permanently."

Sahara quickly recovered as she leapt from her position and caught Mukuro off guard with a hard hit to the spine, making her opponent loose complete focus and turn back to Sahara. She attacked Mukuro light a mad woman, driving her fist into her stomach multiple times, and finishing off with a sharp kick to the head, sending her opponent crashing into the hard, tile flooring of the ring. Sahara then grasped her by her fiery red hair and began to bash her head against the concrete, feeling the satisfaction of beating her opponent coursing through her veins.

"Nobody threatens Kagami, Mukuro," Sahara cooed down to her opponent while she continued bashing her head, watching as blood began to pour from her mouth, "And that's twice that you've done it."

Mukuro managed to grab Sahara's wrist tightly, crushing the bones that were inside it as she flung Sahara to the other side of the ring. "If you are so determined to protect her, why do you only fight with half of your strength?" She questioned as she charged again, beginning to grapple with Sahara.

"What are you talking about?" Sahara question as the two of them struggled against each others hands, both fighting to see who would win dominance in this hand to hand struggle.

"Maybe you just need a bit of pain to bring it out," Mukuro chuckled as she grabbed Sahara's shattered wrist and tossed her across the stadium, "A great deal of pain." She chuckled to herself, seeing Sahara grasping her wrist, screaming out in anguish as she made her way over to the fallen princess.

"SAHARA! LOOK OUT!" Yusuke called to his teammate, alerting her to Mukuro's presence. However, his attempt was not quick enough as he watched Mukruo's boot connect with Sahara's face once more, causing a rush of blood to come from Sahara's nose as she began to fly through the air. However this time, Mukuro caught Sahara's hair by the ends, ceasing her flight and causing her to wail once more in pain as large portions of her hair were ripped from the scalp.

Sahara was silenced by a sharp blow to the stomach and thrown into the wall beside the two combatants hard. She coughed up blood from the impact and sank to the ground, her body absolutely shattered, aching with the pain of the battle she had endure. But she knew that she couldn't give up and she managed to push herself up on her one good arm and away from Mukuro, giving her some time to catch her breath.

"That's right Sahara!" Yusuke cheered in his teammates direction, admiring her determination to win a match that she was so outmatched in.

"She won't last much longer," Kuwabara said quietly, making all eyes fall on him, "Her energy is failing her, take a look at her injuries," he gestured over to the well bloodied and bruised, as well as partially broken Sahara, who was barely able to stand on her own two feet.

"Don't say things like that, Kuwabara!" Yusuke ranted as he lobbed a punch at his larger teammate, his face connecting and spewing blood from Kuwabara's already broken nose, "If you say anything like that again, I promise I'll kill you!"

"Hn, the idiots are killing each other, how quaint." Hiei chuckled to himself as he turned his gaze to Sahara as well, watching for the first sign of Sahara's defeat so that he could take over.

Kurama gazed at his teammate, "Hiei, I can feel your energy growing," he whispered quietly, his eyes never leaving Sahara, "Just promise me that when you go, you will tell me so I can fight too."

"But of course, fox," Hiei said with a sadistic grin, his bright ruby eyes flickering at the chance for another fight, "I would never dream of leaving you out of such an exciting battle."

Sahara continued to heave in deep breaths as she watch Mukuro stroll nonchalantly in her direction. She cried out once more and charged her opponent at full speed, her energy swirling around her as she prepared for her final assault.

"SHE'S SUICIDAL!" Kuwabara cried out earning another punch from Yusuke. They watched in absolute shock as Sahara's momentum continued to increase until she reached Mukuro, slamming a hard kick to her lower abdomen. Then, throwing all the energy that she had into punches that slowly ripped away at Mukuro's clothing, exposing her flesh to Sahara who used a bit more energy to severely burn her.

Sahara jumped backwards from the attack, knowing she needed to recuperate from it only to be halted by a fist slam to the spine, sending her spiraling to the ground. Before she could hit, Mukuro was there and jammed her knee into Sahara's ribcage, showering blood from Sahara's mouth all over the ground beneath her.

"I LOVE IT!" Koto's weakened voice called from her place in the stands as she managed to pull herself up into a sitting position. "This is one of the best battles I've ever seen! Razi refuses to give up, but Mukuro keeps on dishing it out. The question now is how much more of this abuse can she take?"

"SHUT UP!" Kagami screamed once more as she snuck up behind Koto, purple eyes ablaze as she shattered the microphone before attack Koto with an assault of her own. Koto's bright blue eyes seemed to be begging the surround people for help as Kagami punched, kicked, and all in all beat the crap out of the hostess.

"Ah, now I see," Mukuro said calmly, her eyes never leaving Kagami's livid expression as she continued to pound the living daylights out of Koto.

"What is it that you see?" Sahara managed to choke out through the blood as she looked up at Mukuro, gauging whether or not she could get in a few more attacks while she was distracted.

"I've done a bit of research on you," Mukuro stated flatly as she stomped of Sahara's good hand, effectively crushing any hopes of attack along with all the bones in Sahara's left hand. "It's seems that when you were born, you were born with an amazingly destructive power."

"I doubt it," Sahara struggled to get out as she continued to suppress her urge to scream, "I've been giving all I have to this fight and just look what it's gotten me."

"No you don't understand," Mukuro said, her bright blue eye seemed to be misting over as she imagined the battle she would soon enter, "When I first heard of this I was even more intrigued by you, and wondered why you and your father hadn't used this to fend me off when I invaded your homeland."

"And?" Sahara spat, trying to understand just what Mukuro was playing at and why she was so interested in her.

"Then I found out that when you were born, you were assigned a priestess," Mukuro turned her gaze back to Kagami who had been pulled from the scuffle by the other three girls, "This priestess was there to be sure your powers were kept at bay, for if they were released, it was fabled that they could destroy all three worlds."

"What exactly are you saying?" Sahara question and she managed to get back onto her feet, her legs shaking under the weight that he body exerted on them.

"Take out the priestess, and I will get to see the power that I desire to see." Mukuro said quickly as she turned her gaze back to the very confused princess, a deep smirk imbedded on her face.

"Just one problem, Mukuro," Sahara jeered again, her bright amber eyes focused intently on Mukuro's grinning face, "I don't know any priestess, you must have the wrong person."

"Excuse me, but I must ask you to proceed…" Juri said quietly into her microphone, earning a glare from Mukuro.

Mukuro sighed heavily, and focused her Mechanical eye on the young demoness who stood only five feet from her. Before she could react, a bright red beam shot from Mukuro's eye and at Juri. Sahara managed to jump in from of Juri, knocking her out of the way and taking a direct hit to the shoulder, sending her flying out of the ring and into the upper part of the rafters.

"Fool," She chuckled down to the cowering Juri as she disappeared, making the crowd cheer once more.

"Where is she?" Sahara question out loud as she stood from the rubble and looked around the stadium, wondering just what Mukuro was getting at as she began to run down the stadium's stairway clearing the dust from her eyes as she went.

She heard an uproar come from the crowd and turned her gaze to see Mukuro standing in front of the four girls, Kagami standing protectively in front of the other three. "Don't come any closer, you bitch, or I will kill you myself." She threatened Mukuro, spitting in her face as she spread her arms out to protect her friends.

"Hello, Kagami," Mukuro said gently and created a blade out of her red energy and sliced through Kagami's neck, lifting her head from her shoulders by Kagami's purple hair. The girls cried out for their fallen friend as he blood spewed all over them. Mukuro looked up to the top of the stadium where a very shocked Sahara's stood and waved Kagami's head in the air, for all the world to see.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. No, she would refuse to believe that any of this could be happening. Sahara would not allow herself to believe that this was anymore than a bad dream, that she would wake up soon and Kagami would be alive and this horrible nightmare would be all over. However, when Mukuro began to lick her fingers clean of her blood, and the other three girls cradled her still warm body, that was when Sahara knew. Kagami was dead.


	22. Chapter 21

It was as if time itself stopped itself inside the entire stadium as Mukuro tossed Kagami's severed head to the ground, where it rolled to lay at the injured team's feet. Cheers were heard from the crowd that surround them as the four boys continued to gaze into Kagami's still open violet eyes.

Above them, something was changing. Sahara was fighting off the urge to let her stronger side out, refusing to let her do anymore damage to anymore people. Dust swirled violently around her, causing a giant tornado to form, sending many demons flying on the wind, falling from the height to their death.

"Why don't you just release it child?" Mukuro jeered at Sahara, who was crumpled against the seats, grasping her head tightly between her hands as she began to pound her head into one of the bleachers. "Or would have Kagami's death be in vain?"

"This has got to be some kind of sick joke…" Keiko cried out as she collapsed to the ground, her legs unable to support the weight of her body any longer. "Botan, please, tell me this is a joke," she asked her friend as tears welled in her eyes.

Botan simply turned her own tear filled orbs to her friend, not saying a word as she held Keiko to her, the two of them weeping together. "Don't worry Keiko, I'll make sure that Kagami's journey is a safe one." Botan sobbed as she grasped Keiko tighter, crying on her into her friend's shoulder.

"You don't think this could be some sort of trick?" Yukina said quietly, turning her eyes to Kuwabara, praying that it was just a dream, "Kazuma, please, tell me it's like what you did in the last dark tournament."

Kuwabara turned his beady black gaze up to his love's crimson one. Never before had he wanted to lie to her, to promise her that everything was going to be alright. However, he knew that it couldn't be done and sighed heavily, fighting back his own tears, "I'm sorry Yukina, but she's gone."

The soft sounds of the soft pearl like stones hitting the dust beside him soon followed as streams of tears flowed down Yukina's pale cheeks, making a few tears escape Kuwabara's eyes as well. He leapt into the stands, Kagami's sudden death and Yukina's tears giving him and added push, and wrapped his arms around his love and tried his best to provide some comfort.

"I can't believe she's really gone," Kurama said quietly from beside Yusuke as he tried to pull himself towards the head, "I only hope that Sahara's stronger side doesn't try to kill us all."

"Do you really think she would?" Yusuke questioned, turning his gaze up towards Sahara feeling the intense energy that flooded the entire stadium that surrounded her. "Kuwabara! Get the girls down here now!"

Hiei was searching for any sign of the now vanished Sahara, though her movements were almost completely impossible to track now that she had spread her energy throughout the stadium. His eyes finally caught sight of a blur of violet that landed right inside the battle field. She began to walk, slowly, towards the severed head of her most trusted companion, walking as if there were no injuries to her body at all.

The crowd hurled continual jeers at her as she walked, not losing focus on her target as she slowly made her way over. Her eyes flickered dangerously between amber and bright green, alerting Hiei to the immediate danger that he, as well as everyone else in the stadium, were in.

"FINALLY! LEAVE IT TO THE QUEEN TO SHOW US SOME BLOOD!" a tri-horned scaly, green demon shouted down towards Sahara, throwing an available rock towards the still slow moving princess.

The uproar that followed the cry for blood from the rest of the fans gave Sahara just enough time to reach Kagami's severed head. She heard another great sob come from the direction of the team as she lifted the head gently and cradled it in her arms, some of the residual blood leaking onto her white dress. Her eyes remained unmoving as she stared down at her friend's face, but one stray tear did manage to break free of the façade and slide slowly down her left cheek.

"My, my, my, isn't that touching," Mukuro jeered from her fixed position on the sidelines as she leapt towards Sahara, landing a hard kick to Sahara's face, making the Princess's head recoil around to face the opposite direction. "You are still as weak as ever, my child, what a waste."

Her thick smirk suddenly became a look of absolute horror as Sahara snapped her head back around to look at her, her eyes ablaze with fury as she forced Mukuro back, throwing her into the far wall with just a sudden burst of bright green energy. She cut her eyes once more to the cloud of dust that surrounded her enemy before turning her gaze back to Kagami and using to fingers to closer her still wide open eyes.

"Do not worry my friend," She spoke quietly as she placed the head back at her feet, "I will be sure that your death is not in vain." Sahara moved quickly, almost fluidly as she removed her tattered and blood soiled dress and placed it over her friend's head. Cat calls filled the stadium as the mostly male audience stared down at the now half-naked Sahara that stood before them.

"Now isn't that just the sweetest thing you've ever seen?" Mukuro mocked, earning a roar of snickers from the demons stationed behind her as she rose from the wreckage of the wall, dusting herself as faced Sahara.. Suddenly, Sahara's hair fanned out behind her, the bright green energy flooding her body forcing her eyes to turn the violent shade of green. "Do you really think that little bit of a power surge is going to keep me from defeating you?"

"You will pay for what you have done, Mukuro. Rest Assured. By the end of the day, I will feel your still warm blood between my fingers." Sahara's voice came as cold, and harsh in low tones causing the entire stadium to fall silent, confused by the princess's sudden shift in personalities.

"Something isn't right here," Hiei spoke quietly as he pushed himself to his feet, "Kuwabara, move the girls closer to us, now." He moved over in front of his fellow detectives, hoping to figure out exactly what was going on with the team member who now stood before them

"What are you talking about Hiei?" Yusuke questioned as he stared after Sahara, puzzled by what his smaller companion was seeing. "It seems to me that Sahara is about to take control of this fight. All I've got to say is, it's about time."

"You fool! Just look at her!" Hiei spat, pulling Yukina behind him and forcing Kuwabara to take the backend of the pack, surrounding the girls to protect them from whatever was coming there way.

"Mr. Hiei is talking about her energy shift." Yukina spoke softly, making the group turn their attention to her for a brief moment. Her face burned hot as she gazed back at the rest of the team, "Well, Sahara's energy is usually a warm, golden color….but now it's bright green."

"What does it mean Hiei?" Yusuke questioned his friend as they all turned back to the battle before them.

"It means you are an idiot for not listening to me," Hiei shot back at his friend, placing his hand on the hilt of his katana, "Now, be ready. We don't know where she will strike first."

"You're friends are right you know," Mukuro chuckled as she began making her way back towards her opponent. "Now would be a good time to take control of this fight. Otherwise, you won't be able to do much good, once your body is torn to shreds at my hands."

Sahara chuckled as well, tying her hair back into a high ponytail. "You are right Mukuro. Perhaps it's time I demonstrate just what it is that you've awoken within me."

With a flash of speed, Sahara flew towards Mukuro landing a hard kick straight to her gut, sending her skipping along the ground. She sped off and intercepted Mukuro's path, knocking her with another kick to the spine sending her flying high into the air. Before Mukuro could even catch her bearings, Sahara leapt into the air slamming both of her fist hard into Mukuro's stomach, sending her plummeting into the earth below, creating a small crater around her. Sahara hovered for a moment, smirking at the damage that she had done in a matter of seconds before elegantly flipping down from the sky, landing softly in front of her team.

"DEMONS!" Sahara jeered at the crowd around her, her smirk growing deeper at her lust for blood, "Which one of you will be brave enough to stand up for your queen?" She mocked causing an entire army of demons to rush towards her from the stands, effectively surrounding her and overpowering her, forcing her to the ground.

Mukuro chuckled as she made her way from the crater, casting off her tattered purple jacket. "What a fool that child was," She chuckled again as she appeared beside the team, hoping to admire her army's handiwork. "She thought that she could take on me, and my entire army."

A sudden roar of anguish stopped Mukuro's laughter as she watched in horror as her entire army was thrown away from the pile by a giant burst of green light. She cringed as the blood of the demons spilled out upon her, shading her entire body in a bright red tinge. Sahara cut her eyes to her assailant, licking a bit of blood from her fingers as she moved closer towards her.

"And what a fool you were Mukuro," She grinned at the confused look that was painted on Mukuro's face as she made her way closer. Mukuro's bright blue eye danced around the ring, hoping to find some way of escaping the girl who was strolling casually towards her. "You see, you were a fool for not doing research in it's entirety. You were right, I do have a great power because I am the reincarnation of the Scylla."

"The Scylla!" Mukuro hissed as she immediately took a defensive position, her entire body trembling, her mechanical eye whirring in it's socket, desperately trying to get an accurate reading of her power.

"Ah, so you have heard of me." Sahara spoke softly as she gently caressed the side of Mukuro's face with her index finger. Mukuro lurched forward, hoping to catch Sahara off guard with a swift punch to the jaw.

The punch connected, causing Mukuro to smirk broadly. However, the smirk soon turned to a horrifying look of despair as she noticed Sahara's vivid green eyes gazing down on her, smirking back at her. She landed a hard kick to her opponents stomach, sending her skidding along the ground, about thirty feet away from where she had once stood.

"You know what comes now," Sahara shouted towards the now struggling Mukuro, her body becoming engulfed in a bright light. "You've brought judgment to this world as well as the other two. Because you've chosen to invoke my power, you will die, along with everyone else on this godforsaken island." Sahara laughed loudly as her body was carried high into the air, the green bursts of energy so bright that they blinded everyone in the stadium.

"QUICKLY! EVERYONE FOCUS YOUR ENERGIES NOW!" Koenma shouted as he threw himself in front of his team. "This is the only way we can save ourselves, focus all of your power to protecting us!" He cried out, knowing the gigantic proportions of energy that would soon flow from Sahara's body would destroy them all.

"Your resistance is futile, Prince Koenma, you will be judged along with everyone else." Sahara's voice echoed throughout the stadium the winds picking up around them, causing violent storms of dust the sting at their skin as green lightning struck all around the island.

"SAHARA! PLEASE STOP!" Yukina begged, her bright crimson eyes looking up towards the blinding light, filling with tears at the sight of her friend causing so much damage around them.

" Feuersatz" She calmly spoke as her body lurched violently, allowing all of the stored energy to rush from her form, engulfing the entire island in a vicious bright green flame that incinerated everything around them instantly.

Yusuke slowly opened his eyes after feeling the heat dying down and gazed around at the damage that had been dealt. There was absolutely nothing left, no one had survived but their group that had been huddled so tightly together. "We're alive!" He cheered as he wrapped his arms around the still trembling Keiko and squeezed her tightly to him.

"So it would seem," Koenma spoke solemnly, his chocolate gaze dashing around the empty island, searching for any sign that Sahara might still be alive, the thought of her being dead making him almost sick to his stomach.

"But how did we survive?" Kurama questioned Koenma as he helped to pull Yusuke to his feet, draping his arm over his shoulders to support his severely injured friend, "Surely, all of you felt when out energies gave out?"

"Kurama, you must give me some credit." A cold voice echoed from behind them. The entire team turned around in time to see a singed Sahara drifting down from just in front of them. Her burnt skin crackling with every move she made as bits and pieces of it fell off in sheets.

"I even managed to save these two. Make sure that they are WELL taken care of." She stated flatly as she tossed the slightly singed bodies of Koto and Juri into a pile before them.

She smirked at the team before her, as her eyes rolled back in their sockets and she fell down to join the two she had spared. However, before she could fall, Hiei's arms wrapped around her, stopping her descent. The feel of her skin crackling against his as the charred parts began to fall off instantly made him sick to his stomach as he placed her on his back, trying to ignore the stench of her burned flesh.

"So, Koenma, what do we do now?" He turned to ask his boss, hoping that he could shed some light on the events they had just witnessed.

The prince paced hastily before them, his mind wandering over the scene he had just witnessed. "I don't know, Yusuke, but I think it best that we vacate the area for the time being." He pulled a communication compact from his trousers and summoned a portal, "Her fate now belongs to the Scylla."

"Are you saying that we will never get her back?" Kuwabara's voice came as irritated, as the three girls whimpered around him, obviously crushed by the fact that it could be a possibility.

"I don't know, I will have to do a little digging," Koenma said as he watched Kuwabara lift Koto and Juri, "I trust you will be able to help me, Kurama?" He asked softly as Kurama lifted the body of Kagami into his strong grasp.

"Of course," Kurama's said softly, his jade eyes gazing down at the body of Kagami that dangled in his grasp, "After what she's been through today, I would do anything to assure she comes back to us."

"Good, now everyone through the portal, I must discuss the situation with my father." Koenma nodded as he ushered everyone in the direction of the portal.

Hiei, however did not need to be forced as he immediately rushed through the portal and down the long halls towards the hospital wing. He gently lay her on the first available bed he came to, listening to the gasps of the medical staff around him as they began to cut away the burned flesh. He propped himself against the wall, determined he would not leave until he made sure the job was done correctly.

"Hiei," Kurama spoke quietly from the doorway, startling the fire demon from his vigilant gaze, "I trust you will be the one to stand guard until the doctors finish."

"What do you mean, Stand Guard?" Hiei asked as he watched Kurama cringe at every snip they made into the severely burned portions of Sahara's skin, "This girl needs no protection now, the only person who wanted her dead has been disintegrated at her own hands."

"I know that, Hiei," Kurama's voice wavered as he ripped his gaze away from the girl on the bed, staring a hole into the wall behind him, "It's like Koenma said, she may never return to the Sahara that we know."

"She'll be back Kurama," Hiei said in a surprisingly reassuring manner. "Didn't you see the way she fought her stronger half for control during the tournament? I don't think Scylla will have control for much longer."


	23. Chapter 22

An angry Botan burst through the large wooden doors of Koenma's office, effectively ending the meeting he had been having once with the rest of the team. How dare he think that he could leave the three of them out of any information that he had on Sahara? She was there friend too, and if it wasn't for their intervention, Koenma might not be friends with her now.

The infuriated Botan marched right up to the stunned Koenma, "Koenma, tell us, what exactly is wrong with Sahara?" she questioned, her bright bubblegum colored eyes searing a hole into the very center of his eye, unblinking. "You must know something by now Koenma, she's been out for two weeks!"

"Yeah, and the doctors have told us that she has no brain activity," Keiko added on to her friend's rant, smirking when she saw Koenma's face starting to turn it's classic shade of angry red, "I know that you are hiding something from us, but we have a right to know!"

Koenma then turned on the girls, his face bright red and his eyes narrowing into tiny slits as he set a hard glare on them. However, he was interrupted by a soft, melodic voice, "Koenma, sir, is Sahara going to die?" Yukina pleaded quietly as she cast her eyes to the floor, fighting back the tears that were welling up in her crimson gaze.

Koenma stopped his rampage at an instant turning his now softened gaze back to the two girls who stood before them. Their eyes, puffy, bright red, and dark circles forming beneath them indicated that they, as well as the rest of the team, hadn't slept very much since the death of Kagami and since Sahara's mind had been overtaken by her stronger self. He placed a hand on Yukina's shoulder, hoping to soothe the ice apparition as Yusuke pulled three more chairs from against the wall.

"I don't know the answer to your question, Yukina," Koenma sad sadly as he led her over to the small wooden seat beside Kuwabara, "But, you three are right, it's not fair that I leave you in the dark. I will reveal our findings as soon as the rest of you make your way to a seat." Botan sucked her teeth very loudly while she and Keiko made their way to sit down.

"Now," Koenma started as he began to pace once more around his office, "As all of your are aware, Kurama and I have been working almost non-stop, along with a team of highly distinguished historians since the end of the tournament,"

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke huffed, waving his hand in the air in the classic gesture for 'move along' "We all know the whole deal with you two working, now can we please move a little faster?" he asked irritably, earning himself a prompt smack to the back of the head from the brunette who was sitting on his left.

"Very well," Koenma twitched at the idiocy of his team leader as he made his way to sit down in the large leather chair behind his desk, "Sahara is what is known as the Scylla which means that…"

Botan quietly raised her hand, effectively silencing the prince who nodded for her to go ahead with her question. "Sorry, sir, but I was just wondering, exactly what is the Scylla and where did it come from and why has it chosen Sahara as it's host?" She was cut off by a large hand covering her mouth, effectively silencing her as Koenma began to look through a great yellow folder on his desk.

"Look what you did, Botan!" Kuwabara's raspy voice echoed in the semi-silent room as he tried to hold down the struggling grim reaper, "You have encouraged him to give us a history lesson that I really don't want to have!" He pouted as he released her and shrank back into his chair.

"I just thought it may help us better understand what's wrong with her, Kuwabara," Botan's normally cheerful voice became cold, and very rigid as she narrowed her eyes into a hard glare.

"Botan is right, Kazuma," Yukina said quietly as she placed her small hands on top of Kuwabara's massive ones, "The more we know about the Scylla, the better off we will be when she resurfaces."

"Fine," Kuwabara mumbled as he sat back against his chair, and engulfed her small hands within his own, "But this is only for you, my love." His last comment caused Yukina to turn a very vivid shade of red while earning a death glare from the very overprotective brother she never knew.

"Well," Koenma sighed, turning all the focus in the room back to him once more as he pulled a sheet of data from the folder, "The Scylla is essentially a creature that is much older than you or I." He read from the paper as he pulled up a picture of the Scylla on the screen behind him.

The picture of the creature behind him made Yukina gasp a bit and cling tightly to Kuwabara's hands. It was a crude rendering that looked to be well over a thousand years old, but the details were still as sharp as ever. The beast, which seemed to be attacking a small vessel at see, was about fifty feet tall with many different heads. It's scaly grey skin clashed horrible against it's vivid green hair and eerie yellow eyes. It even depicted one of the heads tearing a sailor apart with it's many rows of razor sharp teeth, the blood of the sailor being spattered all over the boat.

"This is the earliest rendering of the Scylla that we could find, dated around 508 B. C.." Koenma stated as he passed around more papers hoping to answer any more questions the team had, "The legend in ancient Greece is that a beautiful nymph, named Scylla. She was the most beautiful out of all the sea nymphs in the region and caught the eye of the demi-god of the region named Glaucus. He had many times asked for her hand, but she had fled from him every time. In desperation, he turned to a sorceress named Circe, who was also in love with Glaucus. When she heard of what Scylla had done, she was furious. She prepared a vial of a poisonous substance that turned Scylla into a frightful demon, with twelve feet and six heads, each with three different rows of teeth."

"So, what does that thing have to do with Sahara?" Yusuke grunted as he kicked his feet onto Koenma's desk, ignoring the disapproving looks he got from Keiko and Koenma. "I mean, it was a great story and all Koenma, but Sahara's other form looks nothing like this thing."

"I was getting to that, Yusuke, if you would let me finish a sentence," Koenma spat back, as he massaged his temples fighting the urge to kill the snickering detective, "The Scylla was a very powerful demon, possibly one of the first ever recorded that destroyed many villages by using different waves of energy. Her body fed off of the evil in people's souls so whenever she made a kill, she got stronger."

"Are you saying, that thing is actually real?" Kuwabara shuddered as the thought of Sahara's innocent face turning into the creature before him flooded his mind.

"Yes, but she was not created by the gods and goddesses as these people believed," Koenma paused for a moment, clicking on the screen making paintings of two great temples appear, "Rather, she was created by two Priestesses from the temples of Artemis and Athena. The idea was to create a being who would be the law enforcement, and punish any of those who stepped out of line in society."

"So basically, you are saying that they created this beast, to do the jobs that they themselves couldn't do?" Botan questioned, turning her gaze to the sullen prince, "A beast that would slaughter indiscriminately?"

"Precisely." Koenma nodded towards his assistant, as he flipped up another picture, this time one depicting a small, almost human looking girl with long flowing black hair and piercing green eyes. "Scylla, was created from a very young, D-Class demon with the help of the powerful incantations from these temples, and it worked, better than they ever expected it to."

"The demon child received the powers better than they could have possibly imagined," Kurama spoke up from beside Kuwabara, "And her first act as Scylla, was to destroy all that had anything to do with her creation. She saw all men and women as evil, and therefore laid waste to many of the surrounding villages, all the while getting stronger and stronger."

Koenma looked at his partner who had remained quiet for the majority of the session. He knew that Kurama was scared for his friend, more so than he was letting on, but he never questioned his motives, what he and Sahara did was their business, not his. "She continued on this rampage until a young, but very powerful Priestess stepped up and was able to rid the demon of the evil presence."

"So, wait, I'm confused," Keiko said quickly as she eyed Yusuke's dirt stained shoes that were propped on Koenma's desk, "The Scylla was basically killed, right? So is Sahara being possessed by it's spirit?" She asked before knocking Yusuke's feet back to the floor, causing the spirit detective to cross his arms in disapproval of her actions.

"Actually, Keiko," Kurama spoke softly again, so that everyone in the room had to lean in slightly to hear what he was saying, "The Scylla has chosen Sahara to be her successor. The Scylla was not removed or killed, but rather locked away inside the demon. As long as Zoie was alive, the Scylla was kept locked away. When Zoie passed away however, the Scylla was freed of the prison and allowed to find a new host when its host died." He stopped for a bit, brushing his long red bangs from his jade gaze before turning his attentions back to Koenma.

"But, how is it that the Scylla has been controlled for so long?" Keiko asked Koenma, obviously very intrigued by the amount of research the two men had put into this.

"Thankfully, Zoie was very thorough with all of her note taking and had even begun training a successor before she passed away. So naturally, the successor took over and did the same as their master and passed on the techniques before the end of their life." Koenma paused for a brief moment, looking back towards Kurama who was staring at him, nodding as if telling him to go on. "And that, is how Kagami came to be involved with Sahara."

He paused again, noticing the immediate sadness that seemed to radiate throughout the room at just the mention of their fallen teammate. How each of the girls had their own unique way of trying to hold back their tears, as memories of her death flashed before each of their eyes. Even Hiei, who had always shown great dislike for Kagami, bowed his head for a moment as if paying respect to her memory.

"You see, Sahara's parents knew of her capabilities." Koenma said quietly turning the focus back to him once more, "A soothsayer proclaimed that the child would be born as the Scylla and the Toki, being highly superstitious people, praised the soothsayer for his warning and brought in the priestess who was to be their salvation."

He stopped for a moment, as he scooped down to pick up a small stone that had made it's way from Yukina's eye to the floor. He ran it around in his fingers once before handing it back to her, "Unfortunately, around Sahara's fifth birthday, the priestess suddenly died which allowed the Scylla to be released once again. It's first act was to kill her mother, Queen Layla."

"That was when Kagami was brought in," Kurama said as he pulled out a sheet of facts about Kagami and passed them down the row, "Kagami was a seventeen year old priestess who had been raised in the uses of Zoie's magic as well as demon magics. Of course, the notion of a demon priestess was absurd to King Iniko but his attitude quickly changed."

"For as soon as Kagami walked through the door, the beast fled back to it's protective sleeping place inside Sahara's mind, freeing young Sahara from it's grasp." Koenma finished the statement as admired a picture of the lavender haired Kagami who was grinning broadly back at him.

"But wait," Yusuke stopped the conversation as he gazed down at the floor, his brain slowly trying to process everything he had heard, "I don't understand something, Kagami said that she and Sahara grew up together. How could they if Kagami was seventeen when Sahara was five?"

"As Koenma said, Kagami was a very talented priestess." Kurama said in a respectful manner, hoping not to offend his teammate, "She must have cast an incantation on herself that would make her take on the appearance of a five year old and become Sahara's maidservant."

"Kurama and I can only guess that it was to protect Sahara from knowing of her, as well as Kagami's power." Koenma said, running his fingers through his already tousled auburn hair.

"But, Sahara told me that she didn't remember anything of her mother's death. How could she not have known?" Yusuke asked, causing everyone to look to him. He was right, Sahara had said that when they had bugged her. What would have blocked that kind of information from her mind?

"Detective, use your puny brain for a moment," Hiei spat from his spot in the corner causing the entire room to tense slightly, "Think about it, what father tells their child that they killed their own mother? You've already seen that the girl forgets when her stronger side takes over, do you think that he wanted to tell her she had murdered her?"

"Hiei's right you know," Botan said as she nodded her head in agreement, her ponytail tickling Yusuke's arm as she nodded, "Sahara wouldn't have been able to live with that kind of information. I'm sure it was decided amongst Kagami and King Iniko that they would keep that information from her."

"So, what can we do to help her now?" Yusuke leaned back in his chair, apparently pleased with the information he had received. "You guys must have dug up some way to help her while you found all that out."

"We just have to wait until Sahara wakes up," Kurama said firmly, straightening out his pants legs before delicately placing his hands in his lap, "As you've all seen, Sahara is not herself while she is controlled by Scylla, though, the effects did not come in full force until she gave into her power." He sighed heavily at the mere thought of the next part being true, "I don't think Sahara will ever be the same now that it is a more predominate part of her life, but I think she has a better control over it now."

"KOENMA SIR!" A voice echoed through the palace as the sounds of large footsteps running became louder and louder as finally the doors flung open and in skidded George, his long toenails making as high pitched screeching noise that made all in the room cover their ears. He was panting heavily but pushed his stringy blonde hair from his face before panting out, "Sahara is awake!"

"Wonderful news Ogre!" Koenma smiled for the first time in days, seeing all of the girls immediately begin hugging each other, glad that Sahara was ok. "We shall all be making our way to the infirmary wing shortly."

"Well, there in lies the problem, sir," George stuttered out for a moment, twiddling his long, boney fingers together, trying not to look up into the face of his master. "You see, Sahara is gone."

"WHAT?" Koenma cried out as he and the rest of the team ran as fast as they could to the infirmary wing to see Sahara's empty bed for themselves.


	24. Chapter 23

"Those IDIOTS!" Koenma fumed as he rushed down the living quarters of the palace, knocking over things as he went. "I TOLD THEM!" He shouted as he flung the door open to Sahara's room, and frantically began searching through it, "Without Hiei being there they were going to have to keep an especially close eye on Sahara! Who knows what could happen if she lost control again!"

"You don't really think she would attack us again, do you?" Keiko's voice fluttered a bit, the fear obvious in her voice as she bent down to check beneath Sahara's bed. Her hands quivered as she pulled back the dust ruffles, praying that she would not see a pair of bright green eyes staring back at her.

"She may Keiko," Botan answered for the Prince who had already flown from the room and into Kuwabara's tearing into the closets, "You saw yourself, she wasn't exactly herself when the Scylla took over. Who knows what could happed." She said quietly as she offered her hand to help her friend up.

"I don't think Sahara would let anything happen to us, Botan," Yukina panted, as she leaned against the door frame, wiping a bit of sweat from her aqua colored brow, "I have complete faith that Sahara would keep her from hurting us."

"I hope you are right Yukina," Keiko whispered to her friend as they made their way casually out of the room and back into the hallway, only to be greeted by the still fuming Prince.

"Would you three hurry it up?" He roared, causing the glass chandelier above them to rattle slightly, "We have a lot of rooms to search and very little time to do it!" He shouted once more as he grasped Botan by the wrist and began dragging her down the hallway, the other two girls following close behind.

"Koenma! Sir!" Yukina raised her voice slightly, causing Koenma to pause for a moment and turn his chocolate gaze to her, causing her face to tinge a light shade of pink. "I was just wondering, wouldn't it make more sense to use Mr. Hiei's eye? He is quite gifted you know, I bet he could find her in no time."

"YUKINA!" Botan shrieked as she grasped the small ice apparition around the waist tightly, "You are an absolute genius!" She cheered as she lifted her friend from the ground and began to spin her around in circles.

"If I didn't fear for my life, I might have to kiss you!" Koenma joked as the team of four made their way back to Koenma's office, running through the massive piles of clothes and shattered vases that Koenma had left in his wake while he searched.

"OGRE!" Koenma roared as he threw open the doors, startling George so bad that he dropped the stack of papers he had just finished categorizing, "Find the detectives now! This is important!"

"Sir," George hissed, cutting his eyes to the massive pile of paperwork that littered the floor, "They told me to let you know that they were going after Sahara." He replied quickly as he began scooping the papers off the floor and placing them back on Koenma's desk.

"WHAT?" Koenma fumed once more, causing George to stumble a bit and drop the papers once more.

"Yes sir, apparently Hiei got a lock on Sahara's energy a while ago, they went out to find her," George bent down once more to pick up more papers. However, when he went to stand he was greeted by a fuming reaper and her mousy haired sidekick.

"Now, you listen to me Ogre," Botan spoke viciously as she pulled George up to eye level, forcing him to look dead into her bright pink eyes, "Sahara is out there somewhere and she may need our help! You tell me where they went or I swear I will…."

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WENT!" George sobbed as he threw himself down to the floor, curling up in the fetal position to protect himself from the reaper's death glare, "They wouldn't tell me!" he sobbed harder this time, rubbing his face into the ground "All they said was, Hiei felt her energy was different and Yusuke said something about you four being safe here. That's all I know, I SWEAR!"

"So, are you telling me that they just sent us on a wild goose chase?" Keiko questioned the still shaking George as she turned to face Koenma, remembering Yusuke's direct orders for them to search the living quarters of the palace. "Does this mean that Yusuke actually came up with a plan?"

"It seems he is a lot smarter than we give him credit for." Koenma chuckled as he stepped over the piles of paperwork and sat back in his large, leather chair behind his desk.

"So, what do we do now, Koenma?" Yukina questioned as she helped to pull the large blue orge from the fetal position, using her small hands to gently stroke his back hoping to soothe his sobs.

"Well, Yukina, I think the boys know what they are doing," Koenma leaned back from his desk and gazed out his large window into the forest, "And I think that they are the only ones that can help her, should Scylla take over again."

With the Boys

"Damnit, shrimp!" Kuwabara panted, obviously having trouble keeping up with the much more in shape team members as he pulled himself up the steep hill, "Are you sure you know where we are going? It feels like we've been walking for HOURS!" He panted again, using his hands to propel his burning legs forward.

"Cool it, Kuwabara," Yusuke jeered as he slapped his friend hard in his left shoulder, causing him to collapse on the ground beside his friend, "Hiei is the best at finding people. You just have to trust him." Yusuke chuckled as he stepped over his friend and kept walking.

"Yes and besides," Kurama added as he turned to go back and help the largest member of the team off of the ground, "We can't just use all our energy up going around looking for her. That would just wear us out and alert Scylla to our presence." He stated flatly feeling Kuwabara immediately pull away from him.

"Don't tell me that we are going after that thing!" Kuwabara's voice trembled as he drew back from the group, the memories of the gore from the Dark Tournament flooding back into his mind. He shook his head violently, trying to rid himself of those terrible memories, "Please, tell me we aren't going to try and fight her, you saw what she did!"

"Of course we are, you fool," Hiei spat at his whining teammate, his jagan eye glowing a bright purple blue as he tracked Sahara's every movement, "I know that the Scylla has control of Sahara's body, and I want to free her from it."

"What are you talking about Hiei?" Kuwabara asked him, causing the fire demon to turn around and gaze back his friend, feeling his eye begin to twitch at the stupidity of the largest of his teammates.

"Tell me something, oaf," Hiei spat as he turned his attentions back to Sahara's movements, "You have the gift of spiritual awareness, right? Kuwabara thought for a moment before nodding 'yes' to Hiei's question, causing Hiei to heave a great sigh, "well, then why don't you describe to us what her energy usually looks like to you."

"Well," Kuwabara started as he closed his eyes, trying to recreate exactly what Sahara's swirling energy looked like, "It's always a bright yellow-gold color, almost the same color as her eyes, and very warm."

"Very good, now tell me, sense out the girl. What does her energy feel like now?" Hiei asked again as he began leading down deeper into the woods.

Kuwabara nodded again before trying to focus on the most predominant power he could find. Suddenly, Sahara's face played out before his mind's eye, however, something was different about her. Her energy, which usually wrapped around her in a protective manner was now licking at her form, as if it were flames that were about to consume her being. Not only that, but the color had taken a drastic change the warm golden yellow had been replaced by a bright green inferno that sent chills to Kuwabara's very core.

The larger detective shuddered at the feel of the tremendous power that had been unleashed. "Yeah, Shrimp's right. It's Scylla." He whispered, his voice trembling as he tried to prepare himself mentally for a battle of great proportions.

"You really are an idiot, you know?" Yusuke muttered under his breath, causing his teammate to hoist him into the air, his fist poised to strike Yusuke in his face.

"What did you say, Urameshi?" Kuwabara bellowed as he prepared to strike.

"Be quiet you two," Kurama hissed as he and Hiei pulled back a few branches to open up a better line of sight. "There she is." The kitsune pointed ahead of him, causing the other two detectives to crowd around.

There she stood, Sahara, looking over the beautiful fall colored mountain side, leaning over the edge of the cliff. The gang wondered for a bit if she was contemplating throwing herself over the edge, but decided not to make a move. She heaved a great sigh before turning around to face the direction of the mansion, a smirk crossing her lips.

"Hello detectives," She spoke coolly, keeping her face from them, "I was wondering when you might show up."

"Look, I don't know who you are," Kuwabara bellowed as he leapt from their protective forest covering and into the open, "All I know is that I want Sahara back!" He jeered at Scylla, immediately taking a fighting stance.

"Way to cut to the chase there, Kuwabara," Yusuke muttered as the other three made their way from the bushes and stood beside their partner.

"Why should I let her be free again?" The girl hissed back at Kuwabara, making the four detectives step back a bit as a large wave of green energy began to waft from her, causing a strong wind to rustle the brightly colored leaves in the tress surrounding them. "I have been the one who has been trapped inside OUR mind for almost fifteen years now," she continued, allowing her energy to grow further, causing the detectives to stumble a bit, covering their eyes to protect them from the dust swirling throughout the air. "Why should I allow her to have control once more, when I have not completed my mission?"

"What mission are you talking about ?" Kuwabara managed to call out over the raging storm, causing the girl to immediately stop her power assault and turn to face them.

To the acquaintance, nothing would have seemed out of place about Sahara. Her hair was tied neatly back away from her face, gently wrapping around her as the wind blew about, as if protecting her from any harm. Her clothes were neatly ironed and her dress caught the air, ruffling with the wind giving her a certain air of innocence as she stared at the men before her.

However, to the group who stood staring back at her, there was one major difference that all of them noticed. Her eyes. Her once bright golden eyes, that had been so full of love and compassion for her fellow man, demon and human alike. They had once been so full of life, and energetic. The eyes that had witnessed the end of a great civilization and shed tears at the remembrance of the many things she had lost in the great tragedy. Those eyes had long since been replaced by a pair of unfeeling, uncaring and harsh green eyes that seemed as if they were staring into the very soul of the people she saw, as if passing judgment on each of their souls.

She smirked a bit, causing the group to instantly go back on their guard, unaware of how she would attack them. "Come now, detective, I know that Koenma has been explaining my mission to you over the last few hours." The smirk deepened as she glided quickly over towards the group, "My mission to rid the world of injustice. That is after all, what I was created for."

"But, that's what the Spirit Detective team is for!" Kuwabara roared back, tensing more and more the closer she came to him. His breath catching in his throat every time he gazed into her piercing green eyes.

"Yeah, that's our job," Yusuke chimed in, stepping in front of his obviously shaken teammate, "So, back off." He smirked as he flashed her his classic middle finger.

"Ok, Yusuke Urameshi." She replied coolly as she focused her gaze solely on the raven haired boy standing before her. "How can you say that the four of you can judge what is right and what is wrong, when three of you are just guilty as the evil ones who plague the three worlds?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Yusuke snapped back, his dark brown eyes widening with concern as they darted back and forth between Kurama's face and Scylla's.

Scylla chuckled at his panicked state. "You are the leader of this team of "justice fighters", are you not?" She smiled seeing him nod his head, never allowing his eyes to leave her face now, as he was curious where she was going with this. "Yet, you allowed yourself to take the life of an innocent man, or do you not remember Sensui?"

She chuckled again as the detectives eyes glazed over a bit and he sank to his knees on the ground below. He relived every moment of the grueling battle he had experienced and remember the final blow that his mazoku side had made that finished Sensui completely. Tears formed in his eyes as he remembered the pain he had felt for taking another human's life.

"I am right, am I not?" She questioned the still distracted detective, who did nothing but heave in a sigh, trying to calm his shaking fists, that were threatening to break her neck for making him relive that experience.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kuwabara roared as he hoisted the small girl from the ground by her collar, holding her steady at his eye level, "That bastard was trying to kill us and destroy the human world! He wanted to release a wave of powerful demons to enslave the human race! Urameshi only did what he had to so that we could all be saved!"

"Ah, but it was not Shinobu who caused all of the damage and death to the worlds, but his alter egos," She cooed as she lifted her leg and landed a swift kick to Kuwabara's stomach, forcing him to release her before sending him flying backwards into a tree. "Shinobu was responsible only for the formation of the demon tunnel and his fight with Yusuke, therefore, Yusuke had no right to take his life. Take into custody, yes, but to kill and innocent man, no."

"You do not understand," Kurama hissed as he made his way over to his friend checking for any sort of serious wounds that the girl may have caused, "Yusuke's body was being controlled when he killed Sensui."

She smirked down at the kitsune, "Once a Mazoku, always a Mazoku, as they say my dear Youko." She grinned this time, seeing Kurama's jade eyes whip around to glare straight at her, the grass beneath her rustling violently as Kurama's energy flooded the plants around him. "Yes, I know all about your repulsive history as well, and let's just say, this fool here," she nodded as she hoisted Yusuke up by his hair, "Is nothing compared to you."

"Then of course, is the great Hiei Jaganshi, who has been known to murder for the sheer pleasure of it," She laughed loudly, as she caught Hiei placing his hand on his katana, "Do you not see the irony in the three of you being the defenders of justice? This is why I have been released."

She paused for a moment, just in time to catch Hiei's katana in her left hand and land a hard punch to his jaw with her right, sending him skidding back, trying to stop himself. She clinched his katana hard between her fingers, "Koenma has failed in appointing you as detectives and I have been released to clean up the mess he has created. I am afraid that I cannot allow the three of you to live the sham of a life you've become accustomed to."

She flipped the katana back into her hands and charged them, prepared to strike them down and kill them with Hiei's own katana. Never before had they seen such moves come from someone who seemed so frail to the untrained eye. It was apparent that with the Scylla's help, Sahara was one of the most powerful beings in the universe, easily keeping up with the three boys different assaults and able to land a few hits of her own here and there, gradually wearing them down.

Her green eyes scanned the area as the three detectives took off at their superhuman speeds, effortlessly tracking their movements. She was only able to connect with Kurama, sending him spiraling to the ground below. This gave her the opportunity she had been hoping for and before Kurama knew what happened, he felt a great tearing, biting pain is his left leg. His opened his jade eyes to see Hiei's katana gleaming in the bright sunlight jammed straight through his calf muscle, effectively pinning him to the ground. He howled in pain and tried to remove the sword from his severely injured leg. While she continued laughing at his state, she was caught off guard by a hard kick to the face from Hiei, sending her skidding back a bit.

She smirked back at them as she took to the air once more, gazing down at the two detectives who had moved to protect their injured friend. "This will certainly make things much easier for me." She smirked as she formed a great green energy blast with little effort, "I hope you three enjoy hell, but don't worry, you'll have a lot of company there soon!" She laughed once more as she released the shot, sending it barreling towards the three detectives.

"SAHARA! STOP!" Kuwabara's raspy voice echoed throughout the field causing the young girl to whip her head in his general direction.

"Zeitfrost!" The much softer voice of Sahara echoed throughout the field as the blast immediately stopped mere seconds before it would have impacted with her friends. She easily moved Yusuke and Hiei safely away from the blast sight, and turned to go back for Kurama.

Kurama, however, was not as easy to move as he counterparts. The katana had been so viciously driven into his leg that she had to try and wrench it free, pulling with all the strength she had, trying to remember that she couldn't breathe. She began to panic as she feeling herself getting lightheaded from the lack of oxygen as she pulled once more with all her might, freeing the katana from his leg. She gasped once for breath, allowing the blast to continue, she effectively moved them away from the blast, but they were still flung into a nearby rock formation.

"WHAT?" Yusuke asked as he began to survey the area for any sign of Scylla, "How the hell did we get here? I thought for sure that blast had us!" Hiei simply shrugged at his stunned teammate as they continued searching for the girl.

"KURAMA! Are you ok?" They heard a frantic voice crying out over the crumbling rock formation. They made their way over in just enough time to see Sahara, ripping slips of her dress and applying pressure to Kurama's wound, attempting to slow the bleeding. "We have to get him out of here!" She commanded, and without even a question, Hiei picked up his pale friend and dashed off towards the mansion, leaving the rest of his friends behind.

In the Hospital Wing

"It's good to know that you are gonna be ok, Kurama." Yusuke chuckled a bit as he ruffled his teammates bright red hair, causing everyone in the room to chuckle at the sight of Kurama's messy hair.

"Kurama," Sahara spoke softly, earning a concerned gaze from all who occupied the room, "How did you get Hiei's katana stuck through your leg? Were you guys training or something?" Her eyes darted between the confused expressions of the three boys before her as she moved closer to Hiei, afraid of what they were thinking.

"You mean, you don't remember what happened?" Kuwabara gaped as he stared back into her amber eyes.

"I just remembering hearing your voice Kuwabara, using the Zeitfrost and trying my best to get the guys out of the way before I passed out from lack of oxygen." She smiled back at the confused detectives.

"KURAMA ARE YOU OK?" A screeching Botan burst through the room as she immediately began to inspect the kitsune thoroughly, "Konema told us that you were hurt, badly, I was worried." She blushed hearing the words come out of her mouth as she sat down gently on his bed beside him.

"What about the rest of you?" A much more calm, but still frantic Keiko and Yukina made their way over to Yusuke and Kuwabara, inspecting them for any signs of injuries, which caused the two detectives to turn bright red.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you five have made it back, and almost all safe," Koenma heaved a heavy sigh as he entered the room and handed Hiei is freshly cleaned katana.

Sahara grinned at the smiling faces that flooded the room, but then realized that someone was missing. Her gaze darted from one side of the room to the other, apparently desperately searching for that someone who would lecture her for being so reckless, not asking for help when she didn't know what was going on.

"Guys, where's Kagami?" She asked the team, disturbed by all the saddened looks that suddenly came across their faces. What had happened that she didn't know about? Did she really get this absentminded when her stronger side took over?

"Sahara," Yukina said softly as she took Sahara's small hands in her own and look up into her amber gaze, her crimson eyes staring into them filled with tears, "I'm afraid, that Mukuro, killed Kagami."

Sahara's eyes widened at the news that the ice apparition had just shared with her. It couldn't be true, could it? Surely she would have remembered Kagami being killed if it had. She continued to dart her eyes around the room, hoping that this was some form of a cruel joke, that any moment Kagami was going to pop up, laughing about how clever she had been.

"Sahara," Koenma's said softly, placing his hand on his friend's trembling shoulder, "Scylla must have repressed that thought. She took over just after it happened, at the dark tournament, nearly two weeks ago."

Sahara violently shook Koenma's hand off of her shoulder and pushed Yukina away. How could she be gone? The one person that had always been there for her was now dead, and in the ground, completely gone. Sahara's eyes brimmed with tears as she made her way, silently, out of the room, not even bothering to look back at her teammates. She slammed the door behind her and ran , tears staining her face and her blouse as she ran sobbing into the comfort of her room.


	25. Chapter 24

It had been nearly two days since the last time anyone had seen Sahara, who had been locked away in her quiet, dark room wishing that no one would bother her. The group of girls had made several desperate attempts to rouse her from her room, but to no avail. Their latest attempt was today, where they had sent the mild mannered Yukina into the room, holding out a deck of cards. Upon her emergence, she was immediately bombarded with questions by the blue haired reaper and her sidekick Keiko, who had been waiting impatiently outside the door.

"Well, Yukina?" Botan questioned hopefully, turning the small ice apparition to face them.

Gazing into her face, their hopes sank as a pair of swollen, tear filled crimson globes stared back at them from behind her aquamarine bangs. "No, matter what I did, what I said, she never answered back," Yukina heaved a great sob as she threw herself into Botan's grasp, the sounds of her tear gems rattling as they hit the floor.

"She just continued to stare off into space as if she was looking right through me, tears constantly falling from her eyes." Yukina heaved a sigh, trying to calm her now shaking body as she tried to push the memory of Sahara's dulled amber eyes from her mind. "Excuse me." She replied quietly as she shook herself from Botan's grasp and began to walk slowly down the hallway, eyes focused intently on the floor.

"Hello, Yukina, my love!" Kuwabara's booming raspy voice echoed off the walls of the hallway as he admired the beautiful young maiden who was slowly making her way towards him. His smile soon faded as he watched the blue haired girl of his affection walk past him, never acknowledging that he had even been there.

"What's the matter with her?" Kuwabara questioned the other two girls as he continued to stare off in the direction from which she had left. It wasn't like Yukina to be impolite and not respond when someone spoke to her.

"Sahara," Keiko spoke quietly, gazing back at the closed door before them. "She's worried about Sahara, just like the rest of us." Kuwabara nodded towards the two girls before him, the gears of his mind constantly trying to think of new ways which he could help the Princess recover from this incredible loss.

"Why don't you go and comfort Yukina, Kuwabara?" Botan asked the largest member of the team, who's face immediately lit up and the mention of her name. "If anyone can help her, I'm sure it's you." The bubbly reaper smiled brightly at the blush that crossed Kuwabara's cheeks, "We will let you know if we think of any other ways to help Sahara."

Kuwabara simply nodded back to the girls before he bounded from the room, hoping that Yukina hadn't gone to far. The two girls couldn't help but smile as he left and they to made their way down to the living room, where the rest of the team was impatiently waiting for news of the latest attempt.

"Anything?" Yusuke asked, hearing their soft footsteps coming down the stairs pausing his video game and immediately hoping that Sahara would appear from behind the taller girls.

"Nope. Nothing." Keiko sighed heavily as she plopped down on the couch beside him, immediately laying her head over onto his shoulder. "She still refuses to come out of her room." She said quietly, feeling tears begin to sting at her eyes.

"All right, guys." Yusuke said as he stood abruptly, almost knocking Keiko's head clean off her shoulders as he made his way hastily to the gaming system and switched it off. "It's time for us to get involved."

"Sounds like an excellent idea," Kurama sounded from his seat beside Botan, closing his newest book and placing it gently in his lap, "Maybe we'll be able to think of some new ideas that you girls missed."

"That's the spirit Kurama!" Yusuke cheered as he pumped his fist into the air, "With your brains and my charm, that girl has no chance of turning us down." Kurama grinned at his overly excited friend, hoping silently that he was right.

"Count me out," Hiei spoke quietly from his seat on the windowsill, causing the room to go silent once more, "She will come out when she is good and ready. Until then, I think you should leave her alone." He spoke again, not even bothering to open his eyes and look to the detectives.

"Hiei, why must you always be such a bastard?" Yusuke fumed as he stomped back to his seat beside Keiko, plopping down hard enough to make the entire room shake a bit before him, Botan gasping at his words as she cowered a bit behind Kurama.

"If the shoe fits, detective," Hiei spoke in a cool tone, his power flaring only slightly, enough to shoot a few black sparks through the tightly coiled bandages of his right arm. Immediately, Yusuke backed off, his skin bursting with a tingling sensation from the power increase as he realized his poor choice of words.

"Well, I'm still going to try," Yusuke leapt back from his seat on the couch, bursting with energy and eager to get upstairs and help his friend, "Come on Kurama!" He cheered as he grabbed the kitsune by his jacket sleeve and began dragging him up the stairs, running as fast as he could.

"COME ON SAHARA!" Yusuke cheered as he burst into the room, throwing open the curtains, allowing the bright sunlight to poor into the dark room, "Rise and Shine!" He said in a sing-song voice as he threw the mattress over onto the floor, and Sahara along with it.

"Yusuke," Kurama spoke softly as he noticed the tears that began to pour from Sahara's swollen eyes once more. "I don't think now is the time to be doing this," he said again as he made his move to help the princess up off the floor and back into her bed.

"Nonsense!" Yusuke cheered, beating Kurama to his target and hoisting her up, making her stand on her own two feet, "Look at her! She's better already!" He cheered as he released her allowing her to stand on her own as he grinned down at her.

His smile broadened as the idea popped in his head to pick her up and take her downstairs. Before Yusuke could place another hand on her, he was thrown from her into the wall behind him, his body making a large hole in the sheetrock. He groaned as he looked up to his assailant, who's body was smoldering with a bright green energy, her hair fanning out around her.

"You would do best to keep your filthy hands off of me," Sahara' voice instantly became cold, her eyes flashing to bright green once more as Scylla tried to once again break free of her prison. Sahara shook her head, trying to fight off the urge to let Scylla win, "I'm sorry that I'm not as strong as the rest of you." She spoke softly, her eyes filling with tears once more as her gaze darted back to the floor.

"What are you talking about, Sahara?" Kurama questioned as he placed the mattress back in it's rightful place, and began folding the sheets up neatly, knowing that their time in there had been a waste.

"You've all been through terrible things and have still managed to come out, usually stronger than when you went in." She said quietly as she sat back down on her bed, hugging one of her fluffy pillows tightly to her chest. "Yukina was abused for her stones and still manages to smile, Keiko has had to deal with Yusuke dying, not once but twice, and Botan has to ferry people across the rift, people that she truly cares about," She paused here, sobs coming from deep within her chest.

"And all of you have had to deal with all sorts of physical, and emotional pain and you've all managed to deal with it." Her voice quivered now with every word that she spoke as she buried her head deep within her pillow, "And just look at me! I can't even get over Kagami's death! How can I ever expect to be strong enough to hold off Scylla?"

"Sahara, your situation is very different from most of the ones we've been in." Kurama said quietly as he moved to put his arm around her, but she moved away from his grasp, making his heart sink. "You've just lost someone who you've considered your only family for the past two years. It's going to take some time to heal."

"Yeah, he's right," Yusuke moaned loudly as he pulled himself out of his body shaped indention in the wall, making his way over to his friend, who had now shrank back under the covers, "I'm sorry kid, maybe we tried a little to soon. We'll leave you alone for now, but only if you agree to eat at least one meal every day."

Sahara peaked her head over the edge of her blankets and nodded to the two boys in agreement before sinking back under her comforter. Yusuke sighed heavily as he pulled shut the curtains, so it wasn't what they were hoping for but at least she had agreed to eat. That was a start, he continued reassuring himself as the two of them made their way out of her room and back downstairs, where the rest of the gang still sat patiently waiting on them to return.

"Anything?" the soft-spoken Yukina questioned from her seat on the couch, her eyes reddened from her extended crying spell as she watched the boys quickly coming down the stairs.

"Sorry, Yukina, but she's not coming out." Yusuke said quickly, his heart aching when he say Yukina's face sink before she leaned back against Kuwabara, who instinctively wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"But, we did manage to get through to her!" Kurama said cheerily, hoping to lift the seemingly black aura that had settled over the room. "Yusuke even convinced her to eat once a day, if we leave her alone and let her deal with this situation the only way that she knows how."

Hiei scoffed from his side of the room, making all eyes fall on him, "I told you to just leave her alone in the first place." He smirked towards the now fuming Botan as he turned his gaze back out the window once more.

"We are fully aware of what you said, Hiei," Kurama said quickly, placing a hand on Botan's trembling shoulder hoping to soothe her, "But we had to try something."

"Yeah, and besides," Yukina spoke softly, her crimson eyes shining brighter than they had in the last few days as a small bit of hope entered her mind, "Perhaps a good meal will help Sahara feeling more like coming downstairs!" She cheered a bit causing the fire demon's smirk to deepen as he continued to stare out the window.

"You're right Yukina!" Kuwabara cheered as he leapt up from his seat on the couch, pulling the small ice apparition with him. "Let's go cook her the best meal she's ever had! Food always makes me feel better when I'm upset."

"That certainly explains a few things," Yusuke said slyly as he began to prod the largest of the team in his stomach, "I knew that you were getting a little flabby around the midsection!"

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara roared as he began to chase his laughing friend around the room, "You take that back! Come back here and face me like a man!" He roared again, knocking over a lamp as the two of them race out the door.

"Well, since those two seem a little preoccupied." Kurama sighed, shaking his hands at the over dramatic duo who were now mock dueling in the front yard, "How about the four of us go into the kitchen and prepare a meal for Sahara?" He questioned, seeing the girls faces instantly light up as they made their way into the kitchen and began emptying the contents of the cabinets onto the counter.

And this is how life continued for the team over the next week. The gang would get up, go about their daily business and then come together around six and prepare the most exquisite banquet they could for their sullen friend, hoping that the meal would lift her spirit. Every evening a different team member made their way up to the room where she secluded herself, hoping she would be able to discuss her feelings with at least one of them. Their efforts seemed to be in vain as Sahara would do nothing but pick at her food, never say a word, and then turn over and go right back into a restless sleep.

On the eighth day, however, something was different within the mansion. It was as if the entire mansion had taken on Sahara's depressing personality and all the team members moped about the house, not wanting to play cards, the girls didn't chat, Kurama didn't read, and Yusuke and Kuwabara never once made a death threat to the other. Needless to say, everyone's foul mood was beginning to get on the nerves of a certain, very irritable fire demon.

"Hiei," Kurama sighed from his place in the recliner, not even bothering to open his eyes and look at his friend, "Take the leftover rice that is in the fridge to Sahara. Tell her that I'm sorry, but I just don't feel like cooking today."

Hiei simply nodded in the direction of his friend and made his way to the kitchen, fishing the rice from the refrigerator. Not even bothering to warm it up, he began making his way to her room, his face becoming more and more contorted with anger with every step he took. He slung her door open and tossed the bowl of rice against the wall, on the far side of the room, making the startled princess topple from her bed. Before she could realize what was happening he had thrown her over his shoulder and leapt from the balcony, running deeper and deeper into the forest.

"Hiei, where are you taking me?" She asked quietly, her voice lost in the whirring wind around her as they flew past what seemed to be a blur of green scenery. "Please take me back," She whimpered quietly, tears forming in her eyes as they came to and abrupt halt, the bright sunlight burning her eyes causing her to force them shut.

Suddenly a very cool, sensation flooded Sahara's body making her take a sharp breath, only for a bit of her lungs to fill with the cool water as she began to struggle against the thing that held her down. She opened her amber eyes and looked to the surface of the water to see Hiei's crimson ones staring back at her, his hand holding her firmly in place just below the surface. She fought against him with all her might, but he refused to let her surface. Throughout all of the scratching, biting, pinching, he still did not let her surface, let alone loosen his grip. Just as it seemed that all hope was lost and the world around her began to go dark, warmth flooded her entire being as she was ripped from the water and tossed onto the shore.

"Hiei!" she coughed as she began heaving up copious amounts of water from her lungs, "What were you trying to do?" She managed to roar out, before heaving some more of the liquid from her body.

Hiei simply chuckled at the princess before him, who was struggling to produce a death glare. "It was an object lesson." His smirk deepened as she flew up at him, slapping him hard across his cheek.

"What kind of object lesson features a teacher almost drowning his pupil?" She roared again as she lifted her hands to her now seemingly raven hair and began to wring it out, a few stray pieces glued to her face.

"Do you remember how you felt, just before you almost passed out?" He asked, his crimson gaze never moving from her face as she contemplated his question for a long time, while she brushed through her hair with her fingers.

"Well," she started while simultaneously beginning to pull her hair in to a high ponytail, "I know that I felt darkness, and anger, lots of anger, and despair as I felt myself slipping away."

"And you don't think you're current attitude has had a similar affect on those who live in the house?" The fire demon questioned, his smirk deepening as she began to think of an answer for him.

"You don't understand," She stopped for a moment feeling the tears began to well in her eyes once more as she fought desperately to force them back down, "Kagami…"

"Was your family," he said, his smirk quickly leaving his face a being replaced by a glare, obviously irritated by the fact that she hadn't understood the point of the lesson, "Yes, I know, I've been hearing the same sob story for a week now, and honestly I'm fed up with your foul mood."

"Why are you being so cruel?" She asked quietly, tears now pouring down her face in an endless stream.

"I'm not being cruel, I'm trying to make you understand," He hissed backing her up against a tree, forcing her to look him in the face, "You are using Kagami's death as a crutch for yourself. What you said to the detectives is early was correct. You. Are. Weak." He spoke slowly, making sure to put a special emphasis on the last three words.

He watched as Sahara sunk feebly to the ground pulling her knees up to her chest, "What did I do to deserve this?" She asked quietly, as her shoulders began to shake as the sobs became more intense.

"You did nothing and that's the problem," He said with a broad smirk, feeling her energy spike, before it dulled down once more. "You see, I've been watching you, and I've realized what makes you tick."

"And that would be?" She questioned coldly, her gaze focused on the black boots before her.

"Sympathy," He stated flatly, feeling her energy spike more this time, before dying down once more, "You love to be in the limelight."

"What the hell are you talking about?" She spat, feeling some of her newly opened energy reserves flowing through her, preparing her for an assault if he did not stop this talk within the next few moments.

"When you first got here, the story was 'Oh pity me, my entire country was destroyed by Mukuro and her army while my ex-best friend and former fiancé did nothing but stand by and watch." He smirked at the pained expression on her face, her eyebrows furrowed in anger.

"Hiei," She whispered softly, digging her nails into the soft ground below her, feeling Scylla begging with her to be released, wanting Hiei's blood on her hands.

"Then there was that time at the Dark Tournament, you remember, don't you?" He questioned, pushing her chin upwards with his boot, forcing her to look at him, "When Mukuro attacked you and you stood there like the weakling that you are and just took it?" His smirk deepened as she tore her face away.

"Hiei, please, I'm begging you to stop," She said quietly, putting her face down so that she didn't have to look at anything in particular, "You don't understand, she was going to kill Kagami…"

"Well a lot of good that plan did, didn't it?" He replied coldly, preparing himself as he felt her energy unleash itself. Before he had time to react, he was pinned against the tree, feeling a bit of blood oozing from a wound in the back of his head. "Well, it's about time you showed up."

"What is it that you want with me? You cold hearted bastard." Scylla growled in a low voice, licking a bit of Hiei's blood from her fingers, savoring the metallic taste as her body cried out for more of his blood to be spilled.

"I wanted to defeat you myself." Hiei replied flatly as he forced her off of him and in one swift move, unsheathed his katana and took his classic body stance, waiting for her to attack him

"I thought we had been through this once already," She shrugged, somewhat amused by the tenacious fire demon who was standing before her, anxiously awaiting her next move. "It looks like you need a bit of a refresher course." She cooed as she charged for him, running at full speed.

Hiei stood upright quickly, looking as if he were going to take the full front of her attack. "Sahara, stop." He said calmly, causing Scylla to instantly collapse onto the ground. Before she could recover, he had her pinned to a tree, his blade poised at the large arteries that beat within her neck. "I know that you have a little control over what goes on in their, Sahara, else Scylla would have killed us at the Dark Tournament."

He gazed at her for a few moments, the inner turmoil apparent on her face as her eyes flickered back and forth between golden and green. The amber ones tried desperately to be freed, but the green ones easily overpowered them, the spirit that owned them seizing control of their body once more. She quickly sent Hiei flying away from her with a violent kick, sending his katana into the base of a tree.

"What would Kagmai say if she could see you now?" He asked quietly, wiping a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" she cried as she charged at full speed. This time, Hiei began to chuckle at her, causing her stop dead in her tracks, confused as to what was so funny to him. "Just what are you laughing at?"

"Why don't you look for yourself." He stated calmly as he pointed to the spring that he had almost drowned her in. She glared at him for a second longer before her curiosity got the better of her and she went and gazed at her reflection in the water. There, staring back at her was a pair of bright amber eyes, just as they always had been.

"Is this some sort of joke?" She asked, still not quite sure of the fire demon's motives, noticing him grabbing his katana.

"Do I seem like the joking type?" He replied as he pried his katana from the tree and hurled it toward her with all the strength he could muster in such a short time.

"HIEI!" She cried as she lifted her hand into the air and caught the blade in her grasp, never even breaking the skin. "What the hell is going on here? I've never been able to see most of your attacks, let alone catch them!" She was confused by this sudden burst of energy that she had received. "Does this mean that I control her now?"

"It's a very good start." He replied quietly as he ripped the katana from her grasp and placed it back in it's sheath.

"Oh, Hiei thank you!" She cheered as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You can go back to the house and make those idiots quit moping." She grinned as she watched him rub the spot where her lips had once been pressed before dashing back to the house, hoping to make her friends feel better as they had been trying to make her.


	26. Chapter 25

Life had almost gone completely back to normal over the next few weeks for all residents within the house, Sahara included. She made her way cheerily around the house, and even got back to her training, hoping that she could gain a better control over Scylla. The boys couldn't help but marvel at how far her strength had come in such a short period. She was now able to completely overwhelm Kuwabara and Kurama within mere seconds and although she had yet to defeat Yusuke or Hiei, she knew that it was only a matter of time before they suffered defeat at her hands.

However, something had changed in Sahara's daily routine. Every night after training, Kurama would wrap her dinner up into a tight bundle and she would go and sit by Kagami's graveside. She could have just as easily sat in the warmth with the rest of the team around the table, laughing and enjoying the warmth of the roaring fire in the dining hall, but she choose not to leave her friend alone.

And that was where Kurama found her, "Sahara," he spoke gently, his jade eyes looking down at the small girl who sat against the small headstone, "I thought you might want this, it's getting a little cold out here." He said with a grin, as he handed her a light green jacket. "I even warmed it by the fire, so you could spend a little extra time out here if you wanted."

"Thank you Kurama, you are truly an amazing friend," She said smiling, causing the kitsune to blush a shade similar to his hair. She giggled at his ever reddening face before turning her gaze back to the grave, removing some of the wilted flowers from Kurama's garden that were still there, hoping to make it more presentable.

"She wouldn't want you to be sad, you know," Kurama said cheerily as he stooped down and placed six bright purple lilacs in the small vase. "We don't want you to be sad either, Sahara, you've become like family to all of us." He placed a single rose in the middle of the small bouquet before turning his gaze back to the princess.

"I know that, Kurama." She said softly, admiring the beautiful arrangement of flowers he had placed there. Kurama couldn't have picked any better flower for Kagami than lilacs, and she grinned knowing the solitary rose represented herself.

"Well, what do you say we head back and have a little fun with the others? It is getting quite brisk out here." Kurama smiled once more, offering her his arm, which she graciously accepted, causing the skin on his face to heat up once more.

"Sounds like a plan!" She cheered as they began casually strolling up the long path from the grave to the mansion, which brightly lit windows now caused a faint glow to creep out over the top of the hill, as if it was a beacon, pointing the way they were to go.

"You know, everyone has been very worried about you," Kurama began, breaking the uncomfortable silence admiring the effect the moonlight was having on Sahara's seemingly iridescent skin, "Even though you are out and about now, it still seems as if you aren't all there, sometimes."

She giggled at his last remark, causing him to blush slightly once more. "Don't worry Kurama, I may not be back to my old self yet, but I am making progress." She grinned brightly at him before turning her eyes to full harvest moon that hung just above them, "Especially after that little "object lesson" that Hiei gave me the other day."

"What exactly happened there?" He asked, causing her to turn her amber gaze back to his jade eyes. She smiled brightly for a moment before bursting out into a loud laugh that shook her entire body.

She sat him down on the trail, and began to explain just how everything had gone down, making sure not to leave out a single detail. She started off with Hiei's dramatic entrance and the spilled rice, to her kidnap and almost drowning and then the battle with Scylla. By the time she finished this story, she was in tears, her stomach seizing from all the strain of the laughter and Kurama stared at her in shock.

"Well, that certainly explains a few things," he said quietly, as he pulled her from the ground, watching her dust herself off.

"What does it explain?" She questioned, still trying to regain control of her breathing after her loud outburst of laughter.

"Well, Hiei was gone for quite some time after I asked him to take you a bowl of rice," he said as he pulled his scarf tighter around his neck, hoping to save his exposed flesh from the sting of the cold November wind, "and it also explains why I had to wash your soaking wet clothes that night."

"Oh, I'm sorry Kurama, I really meant to come back and take of those," She said with a small bow before continuing up the path, "I just got distracted with showering and cleaning my dinner off the wall."

The two of them shared a good laugh this time, Kurama even having to wipe a small tear from his eye, "What surprises me most is that, out of all the people who tried numerous times to get you out of your room, Hiei was the one to do it."

"Why does that surprise you?" She asked him as she pushed her hair back behind her ears, hoping to prevent it from blowing into her eyes once again.

"Hiei is, not that most sociable person, as I'm sure you have noticed," he said with a slight grin, causing Sahara to snort at that thought. "And just the other day he lectured Yusuke and myself for coming in to make you feel better."

"Hiei, giving you two a lecture," She grinned as the thought of Hiei placing his katana to their throats, threatening to end their "pathetic existence" if they did not heed his warnings filled her head, causing her to burst out in laughter once more. "That is something I would pay money to see!" She let out a huge roar of laughter as Kurama ushered her into the warm living room, causing all eyes to immediately fall on them.

"So, you two, where were you?" Yusuke asked slyly as he pushed himself up off the floor and made his way over to Sahara, who was cautiously hanging her coat on the rack, "Sahara, you little slut!" he smirked giving her a noogie, "Did you meet up again with Kurama for a quickie?"

Sahara growled lowly as she simply punched him in the face, sending him flying back to his seat on the floor, where Keiko promptly countered with another one of her trademarked slaps. "Damn, I just can't get away from you two, can I?" He asked as he wiped a bit of blood from his nose onto his hand.

"So, what were you guys up to?" Sahara asked as she took Hiei's usual perch at the window seat, her eyes focused on the blazing fire the gang all sat around.

"We actually just finished a game of truth or dare," Yukina said brightly, pointing to a badly made over Kuwabara, smiling at his bright red lips, "It was really a fun game, it's a shame that you two missed it."

"Maybe they don't have to, Yukina," Botan grinned evilly making both Kurama and Sahara tense, wondering just what thoughts were running through the grim reaper's head. "Each of them will pick one: Truth or Dare. Then we will decide as a group what the question or the dare will be."

"Actually, you guys," Sahara said, standing and rubbing her eyes, "I want to head to bed, I didn't realize how tired I was until I wasn't freezing my butt off." She smiled at the gang, who all nodded as she made her way to the stairs.

However, one blue haired girl wasn't to happy with her "excuse". Botan headed her off and spread her arms out to prevent Sahara's passage onto the staircase. "Come on now, Sahara, just one question."

Before she could ask, however, Kuwabara had easily lifted Botan and tossed her casually over his shoulder. "We need to let her go, Botan. Yusuke and Hiei really put her through the wringer today." Botan grunted loudly and kicked her legs hard, but Kuwabara never budged. "I'm not letting you go, Botan, so just forget it."

Sahara smiled at her large friend and mouthed him a 'thank you' before quietly making her way up the stairs and to her room. The pitch black atmosphere of her room became solace for her tired eyes as she stumbled her way to her bed, taking off bits and pieces of clothing as she went. She dove head first into her soft, down pillow, nearly knocking her goldfish from the bedside table as she drifted off into a dream filled sleep.

Dream

"Where am I?" She asked herself out loud, feeling her body drifting uncomfortably in the hazy sky, her voice reverberating off the invisible walls her mind had created.

Immediately she lurched forward violently toward the ground, as if some force was pulling her, fast, towards her destination. She shut her eyes and braced for an impact that never came. She cautiously opened one eye to reveal a smoldering kingdom, her kingdom, that was engulfed within fire. Her heart ached with the sounds of her people's torment within the flames as she cast her eyes towards the palace, knowing exactly what was taking place now.

She slowly drifted and touched down on the ground, only to hear the sounds of a struggle just to her left. She made her way over quickly, hoping to end the suffering of one of her people but watched in horror as one of Mukuro's minions slaughtered a young mother and her infant and cast them into the once pure river, which now teemed with countless corpses.

Sahara managed to hold back the urge to throw up on the spot as she made her way up the marble staircase and into the grand entrance of the palace, knowing that within moments, Mukuro would be arriving. She ran as fast as she could to her former room, hoping to catch a glimpse of her former best friend, who had done all in her power to save her. Seeing Kagami's bright face once more was enough to bring tears to Sahara's eyes before she ran away out the servants quarters, never to be seen again.

This was the part of the dream that Sahara always hated, because it was always the same. The door was violently kicked in and she could do nothing but watch as Mukuro would taunt her and then leave her to do the unthinkable to herself. What made it worse was that the face of the man that had helped to lead the attack on her people had always been hidden from her sight. However, this time he stepped out into clear view, his spiky black hair and fiery crimson eyes making that all to familiar feeling make it's way back to Sahara's stomach.

"Hiei….it was Hiei." She repeated to herself over again, feeling the angry tears of betrayal spilling out onto her cheeks as she was pulled out of the dream and into what she could only assume was the inner corners of her mind.

"You called." Hiei said as he seemed to appear out of no where in the open field of nothingness. He stared at the girl before him, face to the floor, a great puddle of tears welling beneath her as she tried her best to keep her gaze off of him.

"How did you know that I said your name?" She asked quietly, her face never moving from it's fixed position as her tears continued to flow.

"You were dreaming, so naturally it was easier for me to pick up on your thought process." He said quietly, his gaze never leaving her.

Suddenly, she was on her feet and had immediately landed a hard punch to his face, sending him flying backwards through the non-existent air. Before he could react, she had run behind him, landing a kick at the base of his spine, causing him to groan in pain. She hoisted him from the ground by his spiked hair and forced him to face her swollen, tear stained face.

"You Bastard."

"From the way you are acting, I'm guessing that my face finally became clear to you." He smirked broadly, watching her eyes switching violently between amber and green. He had to admit he was a bit proud of the girl, not only for having gained such a strong hold on Scylla so quickly, but for being able to catch him off guard so easily.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, closing her eyes for a moment and shaking her head violently, hoping to soothe the very angry Scylla who was making death threats within her mind, wanting Hiei's blood on her hands.

"We didn't think it necessary that you knew." He spoke shortly as he plopped down on the empty space he considered the ground.

"We?" she asked, taking a seat a good ways away from him, making sure to keep her distance in case Scylla was to take control. "Everyone knew, but me?" She asked quietly, earning a simple nod from Hiei.

"Sahara, that was one battle that I am not proud of." He said simply, turning his gaze to the nothingness that surrounded them.

She turned her amber gaze towards him, almost shocked at what she had just heard. Sure, it wasn't the normal apology one might expect, but that was probably the best that Hiei knew how to give. "Why did you go through with it?" She implored, leaning a bit closer to him, hoping to learn more about the situation.

"That is none of your business," he spat as he made a motion to get up off the ground, "I did what I had to for survival. Nothing more."

"Hiei, wait," she said softly, making the fire demon turn his gaze back to her, "Was it because you and Mukuro were mates?" she asked timidly, unsure of how the usually very secretive fire demon would react to such a question.

He paused for a moment, before making his way back to where she was and sat down beside her. "We were not mates, not technically. Sure, there was sex but it was only instinct, there was no reason for it." He ran his hand through his naturally spiked hair, which immediately recoiled to it's natural position, "But not for long, she lost her mind after seeing you and your father after the Second Tournament for the kingship of the Makai."

"Well, I guess that would help to explain a little bit of why she lost her mind," Sahara pondered out loud to herself, her mind violently racing over the many things her father had discussed with her about a very dark secret from her family's past.

He turned his gaze to her, as if he were anxiously awaiting her explanation of what Mukuro had to do with she and her father. "My Uncle Akinori, was what people would call the "Black Sheep" of our family, but since he was the firstborn he was naturally in line for the throne before my father."

"What does this have to do with Mukuro?" Hiei snapped, obviously becoming very bored with the history lesson that he had brought himself into.

"I'm getting to that, Hiei," she snapped back, turning her face towards him, flashing her eyes to green once before allowing the amber ones to gain control, "My Uncle became obsessed with finding the perfect balance between man and machine, hoping to create and mass produce cyborg beings to do all of the fighting for him. So he used many of the slaves that had been caught as his first test subjects. Turning this people into hideous creatures that he studied and destroyed before they ever had a chance to destroy him."

"But he kept one," Hiei sounded for a moment, breaking her train of thought as the realization hit him.

"That's right. Mukuro was a young child then, a slave who had been brought in after a battle with a neighboring demon tribe. She became very much like a pet to him," Sahara shuddered at some of the thoughts of torturous manners her uncle had used to amuse himself, "Mukuro never faltered under his constant abuse, doing exactly as she was told even as my uncle began to shape her body into what it is today. However, one day she finally snapped and ended up killing some of the most influential people in the Makai."

She shifted her weight around and crossed her legs in front of her, "She was severely beaten for this act, and forced to wear unbreakable spirit cuffs of my Uncle's design. That was when he continued putting more and more circuitry into her, completing the Mukuro that is known today."

"But it doesn't explain why she lost her mind," Hiei scoffed, finally understanding the reason that the woman he had once been so close to, could feel so much hatred for one girl and her family.

"Well, of course I wasn't there and neither was anyone else, so I can't give you all the gory details," she said with a sarcastic air, causing a smirk to form on his face, "However, we do know this. My Uncle was programming her to kill my Mother and Father and anyone who was working with them. Naturally my people rebelled with my father and took the throne back. Mukuro and Akinori were exiled and never heard from again. That is, until Mukuro destroyed our kingdom." She shuddered again, as the images from her nightmare repainted themselves in a corner of her mind.

"So, you are saying that her circuitry kicked in at the Tournament?" Hiei questioned, a little confused by everything that had been said.

"From what I can gather, it's the only thing that makes sense," she stated looking around at the empty space, allowing Hiei to mull things over in his head for a brief moment. "She also knew that if she killed me, the Toki kingdom would logically be hers, since my Uncle had named her his successor."

"Explains why she attacks you so much." Hiei smirked a little bit, causing Sahara to chuckle lightly as well.

"Yes, but now I have a question," she stated softly, turning her large amber eyes to him, "Why didn't you tell me that you were the one involved in everything?"

Hiei tore his gaze away from hers after a moment, unable to look into her eyes any longer as he thought about her question. However, he was distracted by her long, delicate fingers wrapping around his neck, cutting off a bit of his air supply, "I know this is a dream, Emiko, but you will feel everything this copy of yourself feels. Tell the girl." Scylla hissed through Sahara's body, her eyes flashing green for a brief moment.

"I was not exactly thrilled with the part that I played in that endeavor," Hiei spat, hoping his answer would calm Scylla down. The bright green eyes he had been staring into immediately flashed back to their warm golden color and a bright smile appeared on the young girls face.

"Hiei, you are so funny." She chuckled loudly, taking her hands from around his neck.

"What the hell is so funny about me?" He asked, turning one of his famous glares on her, obviously irritated that she was making fun of him.

"This tough guy attitude," she chuckled, concocting the best Hiei voice she could muster and belted out, "I've been watching you, Hiei, and I've discovered what makes YOU tick." She giggled at the sounds of the stoic voice coming from her mouth, earning another glare from Hiei, "It's this bad-ass persona that you have built your whole life upon, but I have discovered the truth!"

"And that would be?" He spat, casting his glare to the ground, almost ashamed for her at the poor attempt she made to mock him.

"That under all that tough guy attitude," she said coyly as she sauntered up towards him, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck and pulling him towards her face landing her soft, almost petal like lips on his for a kiss. She smirked at the way his body immediately tensed at the sensation of her being so close to him, but began to relax as she ran her tongue slowly over his hard, cracking lips. Just as he began to open his mouth, she pulled away, earning a groan of displeasure from her partner.

"Under that exterior, is a big teddy bear." She whispered in his ear, feeling his body shuddered as she ran her nails up and down his back, tracing the path of his spine as she went.

Suddenly, she found herself falling towards the ground accompanied by the weight of her fire demon companion sitting down on her stomach, holding her hands high above her head. He stared at her body for a moment, taking in every inch of her curves with his crimson gaze before he brushed back a piece of hair from her face. She shuddered as Hiei began to inch closer to her face, blushing brightly at the fact that Hiei was the one who was about to kiss her, she closed her eyes, waiting patiently for his lips to be on hers once more.

"AHH!" she screamed as toppled out of bed, knocking her head on one of her bedside tables. She panted heavily, her face on fire as she quickly moved back to her bed for a moment, tossing her comforter to the side hoping to relieve herself from the heat that her entire body suffered from. "Did I just do that?" she questioned herself as she remembered running her tongue along Hiei's lips and feeling her face light up once more.

She tried to shake the lingering thoughts from her mind as she got ready to make her way downstairs. "I mean, it was just a dream right?" she asked herself again, as she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, "That means I didn't have any control over what I did. Of course, it all makes sense." She smiled at her reflection before darting downstairs, enjoying the scent of Kurama's cooking as she went.

"Good morning, Sahara," Kurama spoke calmly as he turned to flash her a smile, before turning back to his pancakes, "Breakfast will be ready shortly, you can sit over there by Hiei if you like."

Her body immediately tensed at the sound of his name, she turned around slowly to see that he was sitting right there, staring back at each other. It was as if time stopped for a brief moment as they both began to contemplate the events of the previous night in her dream world. However, before she could make her way over to sit by him he had darted out the door, causing it to crash against the side of the area with a noise so loud it made Kurama jump.

"I'll be back in just a little bit, Kurama! I have a fire demon to catch!" She said cheerily as she dashed off into the woods after him, as if instinct was telling her exactly where he would be going.

A grin plastered itself on her face as she continued to run through the ever thickening foliage, the cold November morning filled with fog that swiveled throughout the tress and left a sheen of dampness on her pale skin. She continued running until she saw it, Hiei's favorite tree. The grin grew wider as she rounded a sharp curve to quickly and slid five feet on the ground, the rocks and other various debris tearing at her sides as she slid. She was abruptly stopped when she hit an unidentified person who lifted her from the ground with two mechanical arms, nearly choking the life out of her.

"Hello there, Sahara," Mukuro's cold voice came from behind her, as the demon queen stepped into her line of sight. "And how have you been?" she questioned the princess as she reached up with her mechanical arm and brushed a piece of hair from Sahara's face. Sahara growled at the fiery red head, earning a swift punch to the stomach, causing her to cry out in pain and pass out from lack of oxygen.

Mukuro smirked at the now limp girl in her partners arms, "Nero, let's go. We've gotten what we came for." She laughed a bit as she summoned a portal and the two of them made their way back to her mobile fortress.


	27. Chapter 26

Hiei opened the door and moved to the same seat he had earlier occupied. He was glad to see that the girl who had been troubling his thoughts for so long, leaving him to think in peace. How could he have let her presence bother him so? Surely he wasn't beginning to develop feelings for this pathetic nigen. However, before he could come up with any sort of answer, he was pulled from his thoughts by the sounds of scuffling feet coming into the dining hall.

"Hiei, where is Sahara?" Kurama asked cheerily, placing a large plate of pancakes in the middle of the different types of food.

"How should I know?" Hiei spat as he began heaping copious amounts of food onto his plate, hoping and praying to get the godforsaken taste out of his mouth.

"Well, she followed you out the door earlier," Kurama said quietly as he watched Hiei shovel countless amounts of food into his mouth in a very uncharacteristic manner, "I thought she was chasing you, but I could have been mistaken."

Hiei paused for a moment, turning his wide crimson eyes to his comrade. Had she followed him? Surely she hadn't been stupid enough to wander out into the woods alone knowing good and well that Mukuro had some of her best men out looking for her. He rose from his seat and dashed out the door, a sickening feeling growing in the pit of his stomach as scenes from earlier played out in his mind.

Flashback

_He had been running to his favorite spot in the entire woods, his favorite tree, hoping to get a little bit of peace so that he could have time to think about the events that had transpired that night in her dream. He couldn't bear seeing her face or being in her presence for the time being because the thought of what he had almost done in that moment, made him sick to his stomach. He rounded the final corner, seeing his tree coming into sight with an unfamiliar figure standing in front of it. He slowed from his godlike speed to a gentle trot as he neared the figure, his entire body tensing, ready for attack as soon as he realized that cyborg menace. _

_"Mukuro." He acknowledged her as he came to a complete stop, confused as to why she would be here and alone at that. He placed his hand on his katana, expecting some sort of ambush to befall him at any moment, his gaze darting from one side of the clearing to the other._

_"Hiei," She said softly as she made her way from the tree near to her ex-partner, her bright blue eye focused intently on the demon's small frame, "It really has been to long," she smirked as she ran her index finger down the side of his face, causing him to shudder briefly._

_"Not long enough, as far as I'm concerned," He spat as he slapped her hand away from his face, backing away slowly, "What brings you here, Mukuro? What is it that you want?" He asked sharply, drawing his katana from it's sheath and taking his defensive stance, waiting for her to make the first move._

_"Now, Hiei," She said in a low, rough tone as she pushed the katana downward, pointing it to the ground, "That's no way to be." She whispered in his ear, making him shudder once more, his body aching, wanting to close the gap that separated them._

_"I asked you a question, Mukuro," he said lowly, trying to shake the thoughts from his mind as he stepped back once more, preparing to go on the offensive if she didn't answer his question soon._

_"It's just a little game, Hiei," her lip curled up in a deep smirk as she began to circle Hiei, like a predator stalking it's prey. She walked up casually behind him, her hot breath on the nape his neck made his hair instantly stand at attention, earning a chuckle in his ear, "What's the matter, Hiei, you look tense." She cooed in his ear as she wrapped her arms around his frame, pressing her body against his._

_"Mukruo, you would do best to take your hands off of me, and back the fuck up." He said violently as he caught her face with the hilt of his sword, effectively sending her skidding away from him. He whipped his katana back into his stance, placing it at the base of her chin, "Now I will ask you once more, Why are you here? And how did you survive the attack Scylla made on the island?"_

_"Tsk tsk." She mocked him, waving her finger back and forth in his face, while she used her free hand to push the blade away from her neck, "You should have been listening better. When I said that I had been studying Sahara that meant I had been studying Scylla too, and I knew exactly how she would react. She truly is a marvelous creature, don't you think?" _

_Mukuro chuckled again at the confused look that had overtaken the fire demon's face, as she began to pace around him again. "It's no wonder you fools were unprepared for her power, that fool Koenma just throws his team into a battle without knowing every last detail, and I'm afraid it will be his downfall."_

_"What are you talking about?" Hiei asked again, his eyes cautiously following Mukuro around the clearing never leaving her for a moment._

_"The love he still feels for that girl, it is his greatest weakness." Hiei was taken aback by that statement, earning an even deeper smirk from Mukuro, "That's right, Hiei, he risked your life, as well as your sister's and the rest of the entire team all for the sake of one pathetic nigen girl."_

_"The girl did not mean to lose control," Hiei said quickly, apparently shocked at the fact that he had just defended her, "She didn't know," Mukuro stopped for a moment, staring deeply into his crimson eyes with her blue one._

_She smirked, her mechanical eye whirring around in it's socket. "Hiei, did you just defend that pathetic human wench?" She growled, finally understanding why he had been so unappreciative of her presence earlier._

_"No," he growled in return, setting a glare on her face, "I merely stated a fact." _

_"Well, well, well," she said quietly, beginning her circling pace once more, "It seems that Lord Koenma isn't the only one who is obsessed with that pathetic excuse for a nigen." She chuckled at the look that had appeared on Hiei's face, a look of absolute horror and disgust at being roped into the same category as Koenma._

_"I don't know what you are talking about," he said roughly, turning his gaze back to the ground, his hand once again resting on the hilt of his katana, ready for any sort of attack she could bring his way._

_"Hiei, I never thought I would say this, but you've really disappointed me," She said, her smirk deepening as she moved closer to him, backing him up against the base of his favorite tree._

_"Why is that?" He asked, never turning his gaze to her face, waiting anxiously for the attack that he knew she was planning._

_"Now, you've become nothing but a lapdog to Koenma just like the other three fools," She whispered in his ear, earning a mixed growl of lust and pure hatred from her former companion, "And to find out that the puppy is as engrossed with that filthy bitch as the Prince just make things even more sickening." She said as she planted a rough kiss on his lips, pressing her body close enough to his to feel the tightness of his pants on her thigh, "Don't worry my little fire demon," She whispered once more in his ear, causing him to shudder, "You will know my plans soon enough." But before he could force her off of him, she had vanished._

End Flashback

"That stupid bitch!" He cursed to himself out loud as he made his way as quickly as he could to his tree, hoping that Sahara would be there, "She's been after Sahara this whole time!" He growled at his stupidity as he leapt into the tree, searching every branch for any sign of the lavender haired princess, praying that she was hiding within the golden leaves. When he reached the highest branch that could support him, he ripped his bandana that concealed his jagan, allowing the bright purple orb that had so long lain dormant to open once again.

He turned from one side of the horizon to other, frantically searching for any sign of the girls spirit energy signal. He paced, with catlike grace, around the top branch, allowing his eye to get a good view of the entire surrounding area, hoping to see some trace of her bright yellow aura somewhere nearby. After nearly two hours of searching, his slumped back against the trunk of the tree, panting heavily, sweat pouring from his brow because of the energy he had been exhorting.

"Kurama," he said mentally to his long-time partner, barely able to keep a connection strong enough to carry on a conversation.

"Hiei, what's wrong?" The kitsune's voice sounded worried, as if he had mentally picked up on his friend's distressed voice.

"We have a problem."

**With Sahara**

"Rise and Shine, your highness." Nero's voice echoed in the dank cell that Sahara had been chained in for the past few hours. Sahara opened her eyes to see his mechanical hand forcing her face up to his, "It's time for you to take your medicine." He smirked down at her as he began to take the chains from the wall.

"What medicine is that?" She spat violently at him, wheeling around and catching the side of his head with a violent kick. She rebounded, immediately cursing herself for making that move as the kick felt like it had landed on pure steel sending waves of pain throughout her leg.

He smirked at her pathetic try and used the chains that bound her hands and feet to sling her into the nearest wall, and allowing her to skid to the ground. He smirked at the sound of the air being knocked completely out of her body before her lifted her roughly back to her feet, his bone-like mechanical fingers wrapped tightly around her neck, "Don't ever, take that tone with me again, your highness."

She cut her eyes at him as he released her neck and allowed her to crumple on the ground. Before she could get back to her feet, however, he had begun dragging her, by her chains, to their destination. She couldn't help but gasp at the feel of the cold, stone floor, tearing at her exposed flesh and new wounds opening where the metal shackles cut into her wrists and ankles. Soon, the reached to great wooden doors that led into a dark room, Sahara silently thanked the heavens that he had stopped dragging her.

"Lady Mukuro!" Nero called into the dimly lit room, making Sahara tense almost immediately at the sound of her name. So, it hadn't been a dream, Nero and Mukuro were both alive and well and now she was at their mercy. "The prisoner is here, as you requested my queen!"

"Ah, excellent Nero," Mukuro chuckled out loud as she lit another lantern, exposing her face from the darkness. "Bring her here and secure her to this chair, we can't have our little pet running away on us, now can we?" She smirked at the beaten and bloodied Sahara as she patted her on the head while Nero secured her to the chair.

Once he had completed his task, Nero unleashed a powerful barrage of punches to Sahara's face. His metal fists tore into her delicate skin, causing blood to spray out in all directions from her nose and mouth, her head recoiling after every shot. She moaned in pain as she felt each crushing blow crack more and more bones in her skull.

"Nero, stop that's enough," Mukuro said gently to her over enthusiastic lackey, as she wiped a bit of Sahara's blood from her face and licked it from her hand, "I think she had learned not to whimper anymore."

"What do you want with me, Mukuro?" Sahara panted out, her body wracked with pain as she turned her now blackening eyes to face her assailants. She was greeted once more by a hard jab from Mukuro's mechanical hand, which sent more of her crimson life force spattering against the wall.

"You will learn to keep your mouth shut, one way or another!" Nero hissed from beside his boss, apparently enjoying the torture the princess was going through.

"Just do as you are told, my pet," Mukuro cooed in Sahara's bloodied ear as she wrapped her fingers around Sahara's slender neck, "If you don't I will just have to wring this pretty little neck of yours." Sahara stiffened a bit, feeling Mukuro's nails digging into her skin, but decided against speaking out of turn which earned a deep chuckle from Nero.

Mukuro grinned at her partner's amusement, "I'm glad to see you've decided to cooperate." She said releasing Sahara's neck from her grasp, and pulling a dagger from a loop on her belt, pressing the gleaming blade into the back of Sahara's neck, making tears instantly form in the princesses eyes.

"Now then," Mukuro growled in her ear as she wiped the crimson stain from the blade onto her clothing, "I will ask you this, just once. Where is the Diamente Curativo de la Diosa?" She motioned for Nero to hold out one of Sahara's arms, which she quickly placed the dagger to. "Well?" Mukuro asked impatiently as she applied a small amount of pressure to the blade, allowing a small trickle of blood to descend from the cut in Sahara's milky flesh.

"I don't know," Sahara whispered to Mukuro, looking down at the red head's hand, preparing herself mentally for the assault she knew that would follow that answer.

"Wrong answer." Nero's voice echoed as Mukuro handed him the dagger and he pressed the blade into Sahara's right arm, just below the shoulder, causing blood to come out in spurts, staining his completely steel body. Mukuro could do nothing but smirk at her assistants enthusiasm and back off to let him have his fun.

He continued pressing the blade deeper and deeper into the wound, enjoying the sound of the tearing flesh until he hit the bone. Sahara then let out a blood curdling scream that shook that side of the fortress as she immediately tried to pull her arm from his grasp. Nero, however, countered with a quick slice to her bottom lip, causing blood to drip down her chin and into her lap. "Remember, you are never to make a sound unless we tell you to do so." He said with a smirk as he bent down to the base of her wrist and licked up her arm, enjoying the metallic taste of her blood, before moving back to his master's side.

"I will ask you again," Mukuro said quickly, obviously tiring of Nero having all of the fun, wrapped her hands in Sahara's violent black mane, "Where is the diamente, I know that you have it."

"Why are you so sure that I have it?" Sahara spat once again, feeling Nero dig his fingers into the open wound of her arm, causing her to howl in pain once more. She was then greeted by a jaw crushing blow from Nero, which caused Mukuro's hand's to rip some of Sahara's hair from it's very roots.

"We've been tracking the movements of the ring since the tournament, when it's signal was at it's strongest." Mukuro hissed in her ear, pulling her by the hair and forcing her to look at a map that had appeared on the screen near them, "That green dot is you, and the reason it is green is because it has the same energy signal as the diamente. Now, where is it?" Her voice boomed, causing copious amounts of dust to be shaken from the unkempt room.

"I don't know," Sahara replied softly, in a very feeble tone. This was countered by Nero, pressing the dagger back into the flesh on her arm, but this time moving the blade in a sawing motion.

Sahara bit her lip, knowing that she could not last longer if she kept crying out everything they caused her any sort of pain. She continued to focus on her breathing as Nero continued to saw into her muscle tissue, feeling more and more of her precious blood being spilled out onto the floor. They had her, exactly where they wanted her, and there was nothing she could do about it.

So why not fight it? "STOP IT YOU STUPID BASTARD!" Sahara cried out her eyes flashing to green for a moment as she allowed Scylla to force them back with her energy, breaking the bonds that held them.

Before Nero or Mukuro could even react, Scylla had countered with a quick punch to their stomachs sending both of them flying. She jumped from the chair, her right arm dangling limply at her side as she ran for the door, dashing down the long hallway.

"Nero, follow her," Mukuro whispered murderously to her partner as she wiped a bit of blood from her face. "Do not let her escape." He bowed before his queen before making his exit, following the trail of blood that had been left in Sahara's wake.

'Thanks Scylla," Sahara told her other half mentally as she dashed down the hallway, searching for any form of exit.

'Don't mention it, little one,' Scylla spoke back this time, catching her alter ego off guard and making her stop running for a moment. 'Do not stop running!' Scylla lectured in their mind as a young girl dropped from the ceiling in front of them. Sahara's golden eyes stared up into crimson ones that looked as if they held no life at all.

'Want me to take her?' Scylla questioned Sahara, obviously wanting to get a little blood on her hands.

'Don't bother, I don't think she's here for us,' Sahara told her alter ego as she noticed the small device that was connected around the young woman's feet. She easily destroyed the device, causing her bright crimson eyes to go wide with confusion. "You are free," Sahara spoke softly, so that she would not scare the girl, "Go back to where you came from." The girl stood silently for a moment, nodded as if she had understood, and then disappeared from sight.

She smiled before she continued off on her way down the hall. It wasn't long however, before Sahara began to feel the effects of blood loss taking their toll on her body. She panted heavily as she ran, darkness beginning to flood her vision. 'Scylla, it was a nice try, but I don't think our body can handle this anymore.' she managed to explain to her stronger side before crumpling on the floor, her blood pooling around her.

"Well, her you are your highness," Nero spoke out loud to the unconscious princess as he place some specialized cuffs around her wrists and ankles. Nero grinned as he dropped her back to the floor, grabbing her by her hair, and beginning the long walk back to her holding cell.

**Meanwhile**

"Koenma! We've got major issues!" Yusuke cried as he burst through the office doors, nearly startling the prince enough to knock him out of his chair.

"This better be more important than the cable being out," Koenma hissed as he pulled himself back into his leather chair, rearranging his papers on his desk, "I am to busy to be worrying about…"

"SAHARA'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!" Yusuke roared over the prince's ranting, causing a look of absolute horror to appear on the prince's face.

"WHAT?" Koenma roared back as he tossed his papers to the floor, instantly on his feet, ready to send his team out to find her. "Hiei, have you tried to locate her?" The prince asked, turning attention the fire demon.

"It's no good, Koenma," Hiei hissed, turning his gaze from the prince's concerned face out the window, "Wherever they have taken her, they've got the signal blocked out. I can't find it."

"Either that or she has been severely weakened," Koenma stated quietly as a sickening feeling overtook his stomach. "Ayame." Koenma called into the intercom on his desk, "Get the team in research to locate Sahara's energy signal, now!" he roared the last part, hoping that they would be able to find her in time.

"Yes sir," Ayame's cool voice flowed back through the small speaker calmly as the five men began to rush down the hall to where the research department of Koenma's castle was located. 

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Kuwabara panted heavily as the team burst through the doors that led into the research room, where scientist bustled around the room, punching in numbers and calculations, frantically searching for Sahara's energy signal.

"Trust me, Kuwabara," Koenma said, reassuring the tallest of the group, "I'm just as worried as you are, but if there is anyone in spirit world who can find her, it's this team of scientists.

As if on cue, a call rung out above the bustling scientists, "We've found her!" One of the purple haired women cheered as she brought up the location on the main screen. "According to our results, she is located deep within Mukuro's fortress. We will get you're the coordinates and send you there by portal as soon as we can!"

The entire team heaved a sigh of relief knowing that Sahara was alive and waited anxiously for the swirling blue portal to appear. "Remember, do not let your guard down, Mukuro has always been very tricky." Koenma said quickly as the portal appeared, "Please, bring her back safely." He spoke quietly and with that the team was gone.


	28. Chapter 27

"What do we do now?" The ever impatient Yusuke growled at Hiei for what seemed to be the thirtieth time in the past two minutes. "Hiei, your sense of direction really sucks ass." He growled again, silently muttering profanities under his breath towards the fire demon who had apparently been leading the group in circles since they had managed to make their way into the fortress.

"Maybe so, detective," Hiei muttered softly, tying a piece of his tattered clothing around a wound he had sustained from their last encounter with some guards, "But, I really don't think you could do much better."

"Is that a challenge?" Yusuke roared, instantly stepping up beside his much shorter counterpart, cracking his knuckles as he went.

"Be my guest," Hiei hissed sarcastically as he made his way back to stand beside Kurama, hoping to use this time to get a better assessment of the wounds he had sustained. It was true, they were all a little injured but if he hadn't had to save the detectives sorry skin yet again, he would not be as injured as he was now.

"Hiei, is this wise?" Kurama whispered down to his friend, offering him a piece of his torn sleeve in order to stop the bleeding wound on his leg, "I mean, Yusuke has come through for us before, but I really don't think now is the time for your little challenges."

"Relax, Kurama," Hiei smirked towards his obviously concerned friend, "The detective will give up on his search within five minutes, then I will take over."

"Yes, I see," Kurama said quietly as he began to pace around his slightly limping friend. "Are you sure this isn't another one of your ruses in order to regain your energy without our knowing?" Kurama asked cocking an eyebrow to the curious facial expression that overtook his partner's face.

'It is as I thought.' Kurama sighed in his own mind, watching his former partner slink away from him. Hiei was injured, more so than he was letting on, and yet he would not show any form of injury to them. Not even to he, Kurama, who had seen him at his absolute worse after his first use of the Dragon of Darkness Flame, had seen Hiei so determined to hide his pain before. He knew in his mind, something was different. It was almost as if Hiei had made it his personal mission to find Sahara, as if to make up for all the wrongs he had committed against her. Kurama shook his mind at these thoughts, it could never be true, Hiei could never truly have feelings for a human girl, could he?

"Well, Urameshi, anything?" Kuwabara asked impatiently from beside his best friend, his eyes slammed tightly shut as he focused all of his own energy looking for any sign of Sahara's bright yellow aura.

"I'VE FOUND SOMETHING!" Yusuke roared through the hallway, dashing in the direction of the sensation. A brilliant burst of gold pulling him further and further down the hallway, as if pointing the way for him to go.

"Yusuke!" Kurama called after his friend, taking to a sprint and trying to keep up with the excited spirit detective leader, "Are you sure it's Sahara?" He called again, hoping that Yusuke was actually thinking about a plan of action if it wasn't.

"It has to be Kurama!" Yusuke called back, sliding into a lobby-like area at the end of the hallway, his gaze anxiously darting from one side of the dimly lit room to the other, "I mean, who else could it be?"

"Hello, boys," A cold voice called from the shadows that instantly sent chills up Hiei's spine. He knew that voice, better than any of those around him and watched as Mukuro's smirking face emerged from the shadows.

**With Sahara**

"Rise and Shine your grace!" Nero's chuckling voice rang through Sahara's cell as he landed a hard kick to her abdomen, causing a bit of blood to fly from her mouth. "I have specific orders to take you back to Lady Mukuro's chambers. There is to be an interesting match today and she wants you to have front row seats!"

She cut her eyes at her captor as he released her chains for the wall, allowing her already mangled body to crash against the cold, stone floor, making a groan emit from her throat. He grinned at the thought of causing her more pain as he once again, began the long walk back to Mukuro's chamber, dragging her behind him the whole time. She could feel the floor tearing at her flesh more and more as they went, while causing her older wounds to reopen, allowing more of her blood to stain the grey surface as they went. She wriggled against the chains, attempting to push herself off the floor with her right arm, which immediately sent a shockwave of pain through her entire body, making her howl in pain.

"What was that?" Nero's voice boomed through the hallway as he landed a swift kick to the side of Sahara's head, causing blood to pour freely from her nose. "There we go," he cooed quietly as he hoisted her up to eye level by her hair, "You will never learn, will you?" She cut her eyes once more to the floor, which made Nero release her as he began the long trudge down the hallway.

Sahara was able to force her head around through the pain in just enough time to catch a glimpse of her arm. Her arm lay beside her, in a motionless heap of mangled muscle and dried blood. She tried desperately for the next few moments to make the arm move, her body fighting back the shooting pains she experienced as she tried harder and harder. One tear managed to escape from her eyes as she turned her head away, unable to look at the sight of her arm any longer.

'This makes no sense,' she thought to herself, as she tried to force the images of yesterdays encounter with Nero and Mukuro from her mind, 'Why didn't I heal myself like I did at the Dark Tournament?'

'You barely have enough energy to keep yourself alive now, much less heal yourself,' Scylla's low voice rang throughout Sahara's head, causing a small smile to form on her lips. 'Do me a favor, kiddo, and save a bit of your energy, because we both need it.'

'Yes mother,' Sahara called back to her alter ego, mockingly, causing Scylla to heave a great sigh.

'And it's that attitude that's going to get us both killed.' She said quietly as she shut off their connection, hoping to conserve some part of the energy they had left. Sahara chuckled at the thought of her other half treating her like a child, before trying to shut out the feeling of her flesh scraping against the stone floor.

"Here we are, your highness," Nero growled as he hoisted her body from the floor, placing her in the same chair as he had the day before. "And to make sure you don't get away from me this time, special chains, designed just for you." He said with a snicker as he restrained her, making doubly sure that she couldn't move this time.

"Before we can begin, however," He said, a deep smirk forming on his face as he brandished Mukuro's dagger and placed the tip below the corner of Sahara's eye, "This is for cutting your eyes at me." He growled as he pressed down, causing a trail of blood to make it's way down Sahara's pale cheek as he traced his way over to the edge of her cheek where he pushed the blade further into the socket, causing Sahara to wail in pain.

"IDIOT!" He roared as he struck her hard across the cheek, sending a spatter of blood flying from her face, "You will learn in time, my dear." He cooed admiring the death glare she was giving him with her one capable eye.

"Why is it that you brought me here?" She questioned, as she tried to blink away the blood that was quickly filling her eyesight, causing an intense stinging sensation to overtake her senses.

"Lady Mukuro has a new little game for you to enjoy," Nero cooed once more as he turned her chair roughly to face the screen behind him. "And it just so happens to involve your newest friends, the detective and his friends."

"What do you want with them?" Sahara roared, her energy spiking once more as Scylla tried so desperately to break through the wall and regain control, "Your fight is with me, leave them out of this!" She panted roughly against the strain of the restraints that held her fast against the wooden chair.

"It's just a game, my dear," he chuckled at her antics as he tied a piece of cloth in her mouth, making sure that she scream out during the battle.

**With the Boys**

"Mukuro!" Kuwabara's raspy voice rang throughout the fortress as the largest of the detectives ran forward to face their newest enemy, "What have you done with Sahara?" he questioned as he took his stance in front of the team, ready to charge the queen of demon world if she even looked like she was going to attack.

"Tsk, tsk," Mukuro said gently, waving her finger back and forth in front of the detective's face, "Your friends certainly are impatient, Hiei." She chuckled as she watch Kuwabara attempt to get through the barrier she had surrounded herself with. "It's too bad that your talent, as well as the talent of Youko Kurama has to be wasted on missions for that fool, Koenma." She growled, allowing a bit of her energy to surge, sending Kuwabara flying across the room and into the nearest wall.

"What is it that you want, Mukuro?" Hiei seethed, his hand taking it's place at the hilt of his katana, waiting impatiently for her to make the first move. He knew that she had something planned, and her was ready to slay anything that she could throw at him.

"I only wanted you to meet my newest recruit, I thought I was being polite." She grinned as she made her way towards the door, watching the four pairs of eyes following every step she took.

"Throw whatever you like at us, Mukuro," Kurama growled, summoning his trademark rosewhip within a moment, "I can assure you, we will cut down anything you set before us and we will free Sahara."

"You think what you want, Youko," She purred as she stood in the doorway, ready to make her exit. "Unfortunately, I have a few matters to attend to in the Makai, so I will not be here to watch this exciting battle." She smirked towards the gang once more as she turned to face the dark doorway, "However, my associate Nero will be sure to inform Koenma of your defeat at the hands of my newest pet."

The boys stood in silence at the four corners of the room, each of them listening, looking, and searching for any type of foreign matter that could be their next opponent. Moments seemed to pass like days as they all stood in silence, only hearing the sounds of the creaking fortress around them.

"FOUND YOU!" Yusuke's voice roared through the room as a bright blue light erupted from the tip of his finger, catching the figure that was stationed above them, off guard. The figured instantly blocked the Spirit Gun and jumped to the ground, standing before the group of boys, face still enshrouded by the hood he wore.

"Who the hell are you?" Kuwabara roared, summoning his spirit sword as he and the other two teammates made their way over to the figure, who stood facing towards Yusuke, unafraid that his hand was poised for another shot at point blank range.

The figure chuckled, a light and airy chuckle that confused the group of guys that stood before it. "Who am I?" The voice asked rhetorically, soft and lyrical, definitely a female's voice. "Why Kuwabara, I'm upset by the fact that you've forgotten me so quickly." She said quietly as she lifted her right hand to untie her cloak, dropping it to the floor. She grinned at their confusion, her amber eyes almost glowing under the dim light of the room as she pushed some of her long, violet hair away from her face.

"Sahara?"

**With Sahara**

"What the hell?" Sahara roared as she finally managed to slide the gag from her mouth, watching Nero going for the dagger and instantly preparing herself for another assault. "Just how the hell did you two pull this one off, Nero. That's the only thing I would like to know."

"But of course," He said as he traced another cut around her eyes socket, allowing fresh blood to spill down her already crimson stained cheeks, freeing the eye from it's appropriate muscular incasing and allowing it to hang limply from it's socket. "You see, Lady Mukuro is a master of creating cyborg creatures to do her bidding. That should be apparent from the structure you sit within as well as my newly created body."

"I don't need the back-story, you bastard," She growled, trying not to allow the pain that came from her eye to cause her to cry out, "Just give me the basics, if you please." She hissed at him, earning a sharp cut to her lips, sending more of her blood pooling onto the floor.

"Well, I thought it would be quite obvious that you aren't the one down there fighting," Nero purred as he licked a bit of Sahara's blood from the dagger, savoring it's taste once more, "However, the cyborg version is much better than the original. She contains all of your powers, excluding that of Scylla, and her energy is never ending which means she will continue fighting even when the detectives had long since given out."

"Just how did you managed to program my power into that beast?" Sahara questioned him, pausing for a brief moment to spit some of the blood that was pooling in her mouth onto the floor, "How did you get the information to do something like that?"

"Simple, we've been studying your attacks ever since we first realized that you were still alive. You see, Mukuro doesn't like to leave her jobs unfinished. When she heard that you were still alive, she devised a small power reading machine that has been tracking your movements. Every time you've used an attack, it made a note, and every time your power increased it recorded it. " He smirked at you once more, "And even without Scylla, she is much more powerful than you, for you see, she does not need to be angry to tap into her power. It is constantly flowing through her much like that of Mukuro's and my own." His grin continued to grow, "It even has some of your ancestral abilities that you have yet to learn!"

"How is that possible?" Sahara asked once more, "The energy that I have gathered just over the past year would be enough to destroy a person's body if channeled for too long."

"We don't exactly have bodies you know. We are cyborgs. And as you well know, your uncle's cyborg body designs were the best of it's time correct?" He asked, "Well, Mukuro has perfected the design which means, that the energy can be constantly channeled through us without ever doing damage, as long as it stays concentrated in our mechanical side." His smirk grew wider, "And sense this little number is one hundred percent robotic, I'd say your little friends are about to meet a very gruesome end." His laugh echoed through the chamber once more, "What makes it so funny is that they will die at what they think is your hands!"

**With the Boys**

"Sahara! There you are!" Kuwabara cheered as he made his way over to the clone copy, placing his hand on her small shoulder, "We've been so worried about you!" He cheered, shaking the girl's small frame a bit.

"Yeah, kid, why didn't you just say it was you?" Yusuke asked the copy as he draped his hand over her other shoulder. "I wouldn't have fired that attack had I known it was just you up there."

"Fools," The girl hissed as she forced the two detectives away from her with a surge of golden energy, "You will do well to keep your filthy hands off of me from now on." She growled once more, allowing her energy to return to normal.

"WHAT THE HELL CRAWLED UP YOUR ASS AND DIED?" Yusuke roared towards the imposter, his own blue aura flaring up, pulsating from his body and giving a distinct blue glow to the entire room.

"Yusuke, maybe she's being controlled," Kurama replied to his angry friend, who was already poised for his next attack, "Hiei, see what you can find out by tapping into her mind."

"Shove it, Kurama," Yusuke hissed at his companion, while he aimed his finger at the girl before him. "She's not being controlled! Mukuro talked of a new pet, it's obvious that she has turned on us!"

"Urameshi, Sahara would never do that," Kuwabara said softly, as he placed his hand on his partner's shoulder, hoping to calm the irate detective before he attacked their friend. "Besides, check it yourself. I can't feel her spirit energy at all."

"Wouldn't that mean she was dead?" Yusuke growled as he pushed his friend's hand away, turning his gaze back to the girl, trying to see her aura for himself. "Honestly Kuwabara, I think you are losing your touch."

"For once the big oaf is right," Hiei sneered from behind the group, his jagan ceasing to glow from behind his white bandana. "That's not the girl. Even if she were dead, she would still have memories. There is nothing there, her mind is completely empty."

"So, what is it that you are saying Hiei?" Yusuke asked as he readied his spirit gun once more, prepared to shoot the girl who stood before him.

"That must be one of Mukuro's newest devices," Kurama said as he paced around the girl, his rosewhip at the ready, "She can create cyborgs like herself to have the same abilities as a certain person, and even make them take on the appearance of that person."

"But why would she choose Sahara?" Yusuke questioned, lowering his finger for a moment to look at his teammates.

"Fool, it was obviously a play on our emotions. She knows the three of you feel a deep bond with Sahara and that you would never attack her on purpose." Hiei chuckled as he drew his katana ready to charge the girl, "And from the way you all reacted, I bet Mukuro is laughing her ass off at you as we speak."

Before Yusuke could come up with a decent remark to counter Hiei's the girl had charged, forcing all four boys to go in after her at full force. They met head on in the middle of the room, dashing from one side to the other trying to wear the other side down. Kuwabara was were the girl focused her main attention, knowing that he was the weakest of the group, she wanted to take him out first. While easily blocking all of the critical hit's the rest of the team threw at her, she used a bit of spirit manipulation to propel a bit of the stony floor forward and push Kuwabara against the wall, effectively knocking him out.

"One down, three to go." She sneered as she brushed a bit of her dark violet hair from her amber orbs.

"How did you do that?" Yusuke paused for a moment as Kurama made his way over to check on their fallen friend.

"Yusuke, you can't tell me that you've forgotten my heritage," She chuckled, seeing the detectives brown eyes go wide for a moment, "I was born into the Toki which means I was trained to control time and space."

"But Sahara has never used that attack before!" Yusuke called to Kurama, who was moving Kuwabara further from the action in an attempt to spare their friend from any more damage.

"That means that you have to be the real Sahara!" Kurama called out to her, his heart sinking at the horrible realization that he was fighting one of the only girls he had ever really cared for, and she wanted to kill him.

"She can't be!" Hiei called back to his friend, refusing to believe that this girl before him, was the vivacious and mild mannered princess he had come to know over the past few months. "She has no memories at all! Therefore, she can't be Sahara!"

"Hiei, you are even more of a fool than I would have thought," she whispered huskily as she appeared behind him, wrapping her then arms around his chiseled frame, "I thought even you would have taken into account the possibility of brainwashing."

"You know you've been brainwashed?" Yusuke questioned, staring deeply into her amber eyes, almost pleading with her to stop the fight now. "Then you must know that we're not the bad guys!"

"Yusuke, all I know is that I am free. Free from all the pain I have ever suffered, and free from the memories that have haunted me for the past three years." She growled as she charged once more, this time moving at speeds so fast, the three boys had trouble keeping up with her.

She smirked, noticing that Kurama was separated from the other two boys. With one quick motioned, she had pinned him to the wall with a bit of the floor, holding him there as she dealt with the other two. She grinned at the two boys who both assaulted her viciously, her body easily taking the full extent of their punches. She smiled as she used "Zeitfrost" and seized Hiei's katana. Before she took another breath, she cut large gashes into both Yusuke's arms, which immediately disable his most powerful attacks. She laughed as she watched the detective fall to the floor, crying out in pain as he clutched his arms against his chest.

"And then, there was one." She jeered at the fire demon before her, as she spun his katana carelessly, "But not for long," She purred immediately pointing the blade in the direction of his throat.

"You fool," Hiei hissed as he began unraveling the bonds on his right arm, preparing to use his most powerful attack, "You will never defeat me."

"Zeitfrost" she spoke calmly, immediately freezing the fire demon in his position. She grinned as she moved he, and the detective leader over to their other two friends and restrained them their with a special type of chain that Mukuro had lent her for just such and occasion.

"What the hell?" Yusuke roared as he struggled against the energy cuffs, desperately trying to free himself.

"A gift from Mukuro," The Sahara look-a-like chuckled as she ran her finger down Yusuke's lean face, "Very handy, no?"

"Hey, guys," Kuwabara panted, sweat pouring from his brow, "Why can't I summon my sprit sword?"

"Fool, you really should have your memory examined," Hiei hissed as he cast his gaze to the girl who had begun pacing in front of them. "These are the same chains that Mukuro restrained us with the last time we were arrested."

The girl smirked at Hiei's comment while using the tip of his katana to trace a long cut down the side of his face. "Very good Hiei," She cooed, smirking at the fire demon's glare, "I can see you're mind is as sharp as ever."

"What are you planning to do with us?" Kurama hissed, his hair flashing violently from red to white and back again as Youko threatened to take over.

"It's just a little attack, one that you should remember all to well Hiei." She grinned as she lifted her hand to the ceiling, which now teemed with stars as her great blue bird flew down from it, settling on her shoulder.

**With Sahara**

"Scylla, did you have to make such a mess?" Sahara asked her alter ego out loud as she wiped a bit of Nero's blood from her face.

'Yes, I wanted to make sure that bastard never came back to hurt you,' She replied as she watched through their mind as her alter ego made her way over to Nero's mutilated body, picking up his cloak. 'What are you doing?'

"Well, I can't very well go down to a fight with all of my injuries exposed, now can I?" She grinned as she tore a piece of the cloak and placed it over her mutilated eye before draping the rest of the cloak around her, in an attempt to hide her disabled arm.

'Better make things quick, kid," Scylla said quietly in her alter ego's head, 'From what I can feel, she's preparing to use Shooting Star."

"WHAT?"

**With the Boys**

"That was way to easy," The copy cooed to herself as she walked quickly from the room, not bothering to check and make sure the job was done correctly.

"We're alive?" Yusuke asked as he looked around at the great amounts of meteorites that were littered around them. "But we shouldn't be, she didn't hold back at all and the attack was dead on. We should be dead." He questioned his teammates again who all looked silently back at him, apparently as stunned as he was.

"Surely you guys should give me a little credit." A voice called from the dissipating dust. The boys turned to see a cloak covered and very blood Sahara, the real Sahara, standing before them, her arms spread wide as she allowed her bright yellow force field to drop. "So what did I miss?"


	29. Chapter 28

Sahara grinned broadly as she stood before the four restrained boys in front of her, eyes nearly filling with tears as she thought of a way to break the chains. 'I never thought I would see them again,' she thought to herself in her mind as she summoned a bit of the ground beneath her, using a bit of it to lift her up to their height. 'Damn, how am I going to do this with just one arm?' she questioned in her mind as she lifted her left arm, hoping that she would be able to destroy the locks, just as Kagami had shown her.

Kuwabara rushed towards her as soon as she had finished with Hiei's chains, scooping her up in his strong embrace and swinging her around in circles for a moment. "Sahara! I'm so glad to see you are ok! I've been so worried!." He practically screamed out, holding her closer to him, his strong grip threatening to break her in half.

"Kuwabara!" She sobbed, allowing a few tears to escape her exposed eye as she clung tightly to the detectives neck, "I never thought I would miss that overly loud voice of yours!" She said quickly as she placed a soft kiss on both of his cheeks, before he put her back on the ground.

"Check out who just a kiss from the Princess," Kuwabara bragged to his other teammates puffing his chest out, his face turning a bright shade of red from the thought of Sahara kissing him.

As soon as Sahara was back on the ground, however, she immediately ran for Yusuke, who, much like his taller companion, scooped her up in a bone crushing hug. She laughed as he whirled her around also, clutching tightly around his neck before planting two kisses on his cheeks as well.

Kurama however, wasn't so sure of her presence as he embraced her cautiously, unsure if she was even the real Sahara. "So tell me, Sahara," he questioned as he pulled her arm from around his neck, "I can smell some foreign blood on you, what have you been up to?"

"Well, that's a pretty easy one to answer," She chuckled at the kitsune's cautious nature, as she leaned her head against his shoulder, thankful to finally be back with the group, "Nero and Mukuro have been torturing me since they brought me here." She sighed, seeing the concerned looks that overtook the boys faces, "Long story short, let's just say that Nero won't be hurting anyone ever again."

"And what of Mukuro?" Hiei spoke for the first time since Sahara had bee reunited with the team, not wishing to take part in the disgusting display that had played out in front of him. "Where you able to take care of her, or did she really go to the Makai?"

"I don't really know, Hiei," Sahara said quickly, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember if Mukuro had made any mention of the situation before. "But it doesn't seem like Mukuro to just leave in the middle of a battle she's worked so hard to plan out."

Kuwabara instantly went of the defensive at this realization, his body becoming tense, preparing to summon his Spirit Sword. "Are you saying that she is still here?" He asked nervously, his beady black eyes darting from one side of the room to the other, as if he expected Mukuro to leap from the shadows at any moment.

"Kuwabara, calm down," Sahara chuckled as she placed her small hand in the middle of his back, running her fingernails down his spine in an attempt to soothe him, "Let's just think about this for a moment."

"I'm not sure Kuwabara knows how to do that, Sahara?" Yusuke muttered from behind the group, sending the largest team member into an instant fury.

"WHY DON'T YOU COME SAY THAT TO MY FACE URAMESHI?" A very red faced and angry Kuwabara called to his best friend, preparing to fight his friend for his honor.

"I've been waiting for this." Yusuke chuckled under his breath as he trudged towards the other detective, pushing up his sleeves past his elbows as he went.

"WOULD YOU TWO STOP IT, NOW?" Sahara asked as she immediately jumped between the two feuding detectives, using her able hand to push Yusuke back while digging her right shoulder into Kuwbara's abdomen. "This is foolish!" She roared again, forcing the two of them back with a surge of her golden aura, "Yusuke, this is no time for your immature jokes." She growled at the detective leader, cutting her amber gaze at him for a brief moment.

"She got you, man!" Kuwbara howled with laughter, clutching his stomach and pointing at his red faced friend.

"And you," She hissed, turning her amber gaze to the tallest member of their group, "You are more worried about killing him over a stupid comment than finding a crazed woman who is trying to kill us all!" She cried out, her world instantly becoming fuzzy as she sank to one knee, her breath coming in short, erratic pulses.

"Sahara," Kurama whispered down to her, his jade eyes focused on her shaking hands as he reached down for her," Let me help you up." He commanded gently as he rested a hand on her shoulder, preparing to pull her up.

"I'm fine, Kurama," She said softly as she brushed away his hand before forcing herself off the floor with her one good hand. She sighed heavily once she finally got herself stabilized on her own two feet, before flashing a smile in the direction of the worried kitsune. "I'm alright Kurama, really, I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Kuwabara questioned, his eyes narrowed in as he focused on detecting her spirit energy, "From what I can tell, your spirit energy is almost completely drained. It's like it's hardly there…" He trailed off for a moment watching her move quickly, without faltering.

"Really Kuwabara, I'm fine." She giggled as she made her way over to the detective, wrapping her left arm around his waist, "I believe I know better than anyone what my body is going through. She smiled up at the detective, "Now if you would be so kind as to use your energy to help locate Mukuro and stop worrying about me."

While Kuwabara and Hiei used their individual powers trying to locate Mukuro as well as Sahara's double, Kurama and Yusuke examined the girl. To the untrained eye, Sahara would have looked as if she had only obtained minor injuries, a few cuts on her mouth and face, and scrapes along her legs. However, their was a sinking feeling within both of the boys that Kuwabara was right about her injuries, so they had to question her.

"So, Sahara," Yusuke started, making sure to phrase the question in a way that she couldn't turn around, "What's up with the new wardrobe?" He asked, eyeing her cautiously as she instantly pulled the cloak tighter around her body.

Her breath caught in her chest for a moment as she gazed back at the two detectives before her. She smiled as she glanced down at the tattered black cloak that nearly engulfed her entire figure. Sure, it got the job done and with it being a wrap around cloak with long sleeves, it was nearly impossible for them to get a clear view of her most gruesome injury. However, she knew she would have to be very cautious around the boys from now on, they were very suspicious of what she was hiding from them, especially after she had mentioned her abuse.

'Curse my honest streak,' she cursed herself mentally as she turned her face back to the detective, a bright smile plastered on her face. "Well, Yusuke, I hate them myself, but like they always say, 'Beggars can't be Choosers!'" Her smile grew as she did a little twirl in front of them as if she were a runway model, "Besides, I think they show off my gorgeous figure oh, so well!"

The two detectives were laughing so hard that they missed the instant where Sahara's image faltered as she cringed, feeling another sharp wave of pain tear through her body. She gritted her teeth in an attempt to keep her mouth shut, hoping to draw away Kurama's and Yusuke's suspicions of her injury.

Kurama smiled down at her, knowing that she was putting them on, but deciding to play along with it for a moment more. "What about that covering on your face?" He questioned as he reached for it, making Sahara instantly take a step back, "Won't you let me see what's under it?"

"NO!" She roared, smacking his hand away from her face, "It is there to cover a minor injury and nothing more."

"If you are injured you should let me see it," Kurama said quietly, moving back over to the princess, "I may be able to treat it." He smiled at her, his jade eyes pleading with her to come closer and let him take a look.

"No, Kurama," She said quietly, running her hands instinctively over the bandage as if to make sure it stayed secure, "It's a minor injury, nothing more. I will be fine until we get out here."

Before Yusuke or Kurama could interject any disapproving comments of the situation, Hiei bolted off down the dark hallway to the left, leaving the stunned team standing for a brief moment. "I'm guessing that he's found something." Yusuke stated as he took off after his fastest teammate, "Come on KURAMA!" He called back to the kitsune who ran after him.

Sahara grinned at the two boys who had left her standing behind. She couldn't help but be thankful Hiei had found whatever it was so quickly, else her injuries may have been discovered. She darted off down the hallway, not running nearly as fast as usual but making a desperate attempt to catch up with the boys. Before she reached the middle of the long hallway, she was stopped by a large hand grabbing on the end of her cloak.

"Kuwabara!" She cried out as she began to struggle desperately against his strong grip, "Let me go!" She commanded, her body flailing about in his strong grasp. However, in a few short moments, she slowed down shadows once again overtaking her vision, "Please?" She whispered in an almost inaudible tone.

"No," He spoke firmly as he flipped her around so that he was carrying her bridal style, staring down into her face, "You are more hurt than you are letting on, and I'm not going to let you just waste your energy running down this hallway." He chuckled at her surprised expression as he held her close to him, dashing down the hallway, catching up to the boys much faster than she would have.

"It's about time you arrive," a voice called through the shadows as Kuwabara and Sahara entered the throne room of Mukuro's fortress. "I was beginning to wonder if I really had killed you off with that weakling attack earlier."

Sahara watched as a mirror image of herself leapt from the railing along the ceiling landing in front of she and Kuwabara. "And what do we have here?" The copy asked, putting her face down in Sahara's "It appears that you have found my much weaker counterpart."

"Why you!" Kuwabara roared as he dropped Sahara, who landed roughly on her feet, instantly summoning his spirit sword, "Sahara could take you any day!" He shouted as he swung his mighty sword at the double multiple times.

"Pitiful," the double hissed as she easily dodged all of Kuwabara's attacks before landing a hard kick to the side of his face, sending him spiraling across the room into a great, stone pillar.

"Thank you, Kuwabara," Sahara said quietly as she moved to help him sit up, knocking a few of the shattered rocks from his hair, "However, we all know that this is a battle I'm going to have to face on my own."

"Oh, how kind," The double stated sarcastically, rolling her amber eyes at the sight of her mangled counterpart, "Tell me something, deary," She smirked as she heaved a great stone from beside her towards Sahara, "Are you going to use some form of that outdated Toki magic next?"

"You forget," Sahara hissed as she lifted her hands in front of her, stopping the hurtling stone in midair, "Toki magic is the same form of magic that you use!" She cried as she pushed her energy out, sending the stone flying back to it's original place.

"And what should that mean to me?" Her double's amber eyes narrowed as she stepped to the side, allowing the stone to fly into the wall behind her, causing a great cloud of dust to invoke the room. "Do you honestly think you have the advantage because you can use all of the same attacks to counter mine?"

"No," She smirked at her counterparts now very confused expression, "I know every flaw to your attacks, every weak point and how to exploit them." She grinned broadly before charging at her double at full speed.

Sahara attacked with such brutality and speed which each of her punches that the entire gang, including Hiei, felt a bit of pride growing within them as they saw how far her power had come. The four boys watched as the two carbon copies bounded around the room, almost unable to keep up with. Sahara continued on the offensive, attacking like a madwoman while her double easily blocked everything she threw at her.

Suddenly, the double caught Sahara's fist mid-swing, instantly halting the two in the middle of the large room. Sahara chuckled and drew back her let leg, preparing to slam it into her opponent. However, her leg was caught this time, allowing her double to sling her around over her head as if she were some sort of rag doll. She grinned towards the four boys before releasing Sahara, allowing her to skid along the rough floor, causing more scrapes to form along her legs.

"Are you finished, yet?" The double asked, using her index finger to clean out one of her ears as she watched her predecessor struggle to get off the ground, "I'm beginning to grow a little bored with you."

Sahara charged again, this time using even more energy to cause the ground beneath her double to move, causing her to lose her footing. Sahara took the opportunity to assault her disoriented double with a barrage of punches and kicks that went by so fast they couldn't be blocked. After one final punch, Sahara used a bit more of her energy to manipulate a stone from earlier and brought it crashing into her opponent, effectively pinning her against the wall.

Sahara watched as he double wriggled free of the stone and leapt back into the air once more, disappearing with a flash of speed. It was then that Sahara's energy loss caught up with for the first time during the battle and caused her to sink to one knee, panting at an abnormal pace as she waited for her double to resurface. 'Where the hell are you?' she thought in her mind as she frantically searched every part of the room for her attacker.

"Looking for me?" The double's voice rang out through the room as her knee connected with the side of Sahara's head, causing her to sail across the room once again. She grinned as she made her way over, driving her foot into her twin's stomach, causing a bit of blood to erupt from Sahara's mouth. It was then that she wrapped her hands within Sahara's violet mane and began to pound her head against the floor, the stone beneath it cracking violently with every attack. When she grew tired of this, she placed Sahara flat on her back and began an assault on her ribs, causing Sahara to gasp in pain with every strike.

Seeing all of the carnage unfolding in front of them, caused Yusuke to charge into the battle, ready to kill the double for doing those things to Sahara. However, before he could reach the double, she hoisted Sahara up by her hair, holding a dagger to her exposed throat.

"You better back off, detective," She hissed, pressing the dagger into Sahara's neck slightly, causing a small line of blood to appear on her white flesh. "I would hate to see her life end this way, especially when she has so much to live for." The double hissed towards the team, pulling the dagger away and licking it clean.

Yusuke paused for a moment, unable to concoct a plan in his head of how to deal with the situation he found himself in. He turned his gaze to Kurama, hoping to find some sort of answer from the smartest member of their team. It was then that both pairs of eyes landed on the shortest, and fastest member of the team. As if he instantly understood what they were thinking, Hiei took his stance, his hand poised at the hilt of his katana ready to attack at the speed of light to free the girl.

"Hiei, are you sure you are ready to risk this?" The double cooed in the direction of the detectives, her dagger placed at the ready once more at Sahara's throat. "Did you forget that I too can use 'Zeitfrost'?"

This made the entire team stop for a brief moment and contemplate exactly what they were doing. Yusuke made a move forward and placed his hand on his teammates shoulder, "We can't do it, Hiei," Hiei sneered at the thought of giving up to the copy but nevertheless dropped his stance, his ruby eyes cut into narrow slits as he glared at the imposter.

"I knew that you would see it my way," She hissed as she released the princess, allowing her skull to crack against the stone floor. She smirked as she watched more blood pour from Sahara's forehead onto the grey stone floor.

Suddenly, a loud groan emitted from Sahara's throat as she tried to force herself up, successfully getting to her knees. "Goodness, you really can't be killed, can you?" Her double question as she landed a sharp kick to her face sending her flying into the nearest wall.

Sahara heaved in a deep breath as she collided with the wall, the sounds of the stone crumbling around being just enough to keep her in the conscious world. It was then that the double proceeded to attack her once more, Sahara being unable to fight back, could do nothing but watch as she was pummeled.

The double summoned forth her dagger once more, placing its tip at the edge of Sahara's neck, "I will make sure you are dead this time." She hissed at her twin as she added pressure to the dagger.

Suddenly, a blood curdling cry erupted from that corner of the room, making the detectives fear the worse as they all turned their eyes back to the battle scene. There stood Sahara, with Hiei's katana clenched tightly in her hand, the sharp end driven through the head of her look-a-like. She smiled in the direction of the cheering Kuwabara and Yusuke and threw up a victory sign, before using Hiei's katana to effectively disassemble the cyborg.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were the first to make their way over to her, charging at her at full speed. They were followed closely by an anxious Kurama and lastly by Hiei. Yusuke scooped her up in a giant hug once more, "Sahara, that was amazing!" He cheered ruffling her hair.

"But I'm confused," Kuwabara said quietly as he looked down at the pieces of remaining metal that once made up the cyborg, "Just how did you get Hiei's katana without any of us seeing it?"

She laughed long and hard at Kuwabara's expense. Had she really made that move so fast that they hadn't seen it? Was it possible that being able to control Scylla had helped to improve her skills that much? "I simply used my energy to control the katana and bring it towards me. To be honest, I don't think Hiei realized what was going on until he saw his katana flying across the room." She grinned at the fire demon before tossing the katana back to it's rightful owner. 

"So, what now?" Yusuke asked as he put Sahara down, watching her go and lean up against the wall, in a feeble attempt to steady her breathing. "Neither of you sensed Mukuro, did you?"

"Even if they didn't," Sahara panted, sliding down against the wall, sitting on the floor, "It doesn't mean that she isn't here."

"Maybe we should all split off and search the rooms," Kurama thought out loud, turning to his teammates to gauge their responses, "If you find anything just send out a signal on the communicators."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Yusuke said cheerily as he lifted the now sleeping Sahara and placed her on his back, making sure that she was secure. "Kuwabara and I will take this one with us!"

"Very well, Yusuke, you three take the north hall," Kurama said as he pointed towards a small door just passed the large metal throne, "We will take the one on the south side."

"Good luck you guys!" Kuwabara shouted to his friends as he and Yusuke dashed down the hallway, apparently racing to see which of them could make their way down the hallway first.

"Kurama," Hiei spoke softly, his eyes never leaving the spot that his teammates had just exited from.

"Yes, Hiei?" Kurama asked, a little shocked to hear his teammate speak as he began making his way towards the southbound hallway.

"Do you think it's wise to leave the girl with them?" He asked, still unmoving, staring at the darkened exit, "Surely you noticed how she was favoring that arm."

"It is rather peculiar that she didn't use her dominant hand in any of her attacks," Kurama said softly as he used his left hand to push his bangs from his face. "And she wouldn't let me look at the damage she sustained to her eye.

"She is more hurt than she is letting on." Hiei spoke softly as he finally began to move, walking in the direction of the north bound hallway, "Even the fool sensed that something wasn't right about her."

"So what are you suggesting we do?" Kurama asked, turning back to follow his partner, "I'm guessing that you are wanting to follow them."

"Yes," Hiei said dashing off in the direction of the door, "You know how ruthless Mukuro is, if she gets her hands on the girl, she will not see another day dawn."

"You're right." Kurama panted from beside Hiei as the two demons disappeared into the same dark hallway, following the detectives from a safe distance.

"You were plotting this the whole time weren't you?" Hiei turned to see Kurama smirk slightly, "You didn't want Yusuke and the fool to know we were following them."

"You know me too well," Kurama chuckled as he gazed down the hallway, seeing Yusuke, who was still carrying the unconscious Sahara, and Kuwabara emerge from one room and move to the next. "However it was not to fool them."

"What was it for then?" The fire demon questioned as they slowly made their way toward the trio of detectives.

"It was to lull Mukuro into a false sense of security." Kurama chuckled at his smirking friend as they continued to spy on their friends, who made their way cautiously into every room.


	30. Chapter 29

"URAMESHI!" Kuwabara called out, his loud voice echoing down the seemingly empty hallway, startling his partner slightly, "Would you take Sahara? I've been carrying her for HOURS!" The largest detective complained loudly as he shoved the still sleeping princess towards his partner.

"Calm down, Kuwabara," Yusuke hissed as he took Sahara from his grasp and placed her on his back, "She weighs all of a hundred pounds at the most," He glared at his friend, "Besides, we are supposed to be quiet!" He hissed as his foot connected with his friends shin, causing Kuwabara to squeal in pain before slapping his hand over his mouth. "You should consider yourself lucky. If I didn't have Sahara I would have kicked you in the face."

"I would like to see you try it," Kuwabara muttered as he walked past his partner, who gave him a swift kick to the rear. Kuwabara turned around to nail his friend with a punch but the glare Yusuke shot him made him rethink that idea.

"Well, would you move your ass!" Yusuke hissed again as he placed another hard kick to Kuwabara's rear, making the detective stumble as he walked.

"Sorry Urameshi," Kuwabara muttered under his breath as he sped up his pace, hoping not to anger his partner anymore. It wasn't long before the two came to two large wooden doors at the very end of the hallway. "Do you think this is it?" Kuwabara asked as he placed his ear against the door.

"No shit Sherlock," Yusuke said sarcastically, rolling his eyes playfully at his friend, "Would you do me a favor and get that?" he motioned towards the door with shoulder, smirking at his friend, "I would but my hands are kinda full."

Kuwabara heaved a great sigh before pushing the two doors open, exposing the large, very dimly lit room. Kuwabara immediately took the lead, hoping to protect his partner and Sahara should this be some sort of trap. The two boys entered in silence, making sure not to make to much noise, hoping that they would be able to find something of use in this room.

"It seems the two fools can do something right after all," A stoic voice called from the shadows, making Kuwabara immediately leap in front of Yusuke, who clutched Sahara tight against him, preparing to make a run for it. "Relax you idiots, it's just us." Hiei hissed as he and Kurama emerged from the darkness.

"Hiei? Kurama?" Yusuke asked, "What are you two doing here?" He asked as he loosened the grip he had on Sahara's legs, allowing her to slide a little further down his back, relieving some of the pressure from his upper back.

"Actually, we were a little worried about you two," Kurama said quickly, using his left hand to correct an out of place piece of hair, "What with one of you having to carry Sahara, we were afraid you might be ambushed. So we followed you."

"You were worried, Hiei?" Kuwabara asked as he bent down to face the shortest of the detectives.

"Hardly," Hiei spat, causing Kuwabara to recoil just a bit, standing up straight, "I was merely concerned for the girl's safety. After all, she has two incompetent fools taking care of her." He chuckled at the sudden red coloring that began overtaking Kuwabara's face.

"WHY YOU!" Kuwabara roared as he made a move to tackled Hiei. However, before he could get a grasp on the fire demon, Hiei had moved out of the way causing Kuwabara to stumble before toppling to the ground face first.

"How about we take a look around here before those two end up killing each other?" Kurama asked as he moved deeper into the room, his jade eyes scanning the many pictures and bookshelves as he went.

"That sounds like a good idea." Yusuke whispered as he made his way cautiously into the room, keeping his grip tight on Sahara's legs.

"How is she?" Kurama asked softly as he lifted up a book to his eyes, examining it closely.

Yusuke shook his head, watching the kitsune's gaze travel to the girl on his back, "No change, she's breathing okay and all, but she hasn't made so much as a peep since we split up."

"Hey guys," Kuwabara heaved, sounding as if he was about to vomit his lunch all over the floor near him, "You better come over here and check this out," he stuttered, turning his widened gaze to his friends.

The team rushed over to see the mangled corpse of Nero, lying in the middle of the floor, his dried blood pooling around him. Kurama leaned in closer, as if to inspect the scene further, wondering who could have done so much damage to a demon who was so powerful.

"Who could have done this?" Kuwabara asked, shuddering as he tried to free his mind from the mental images of the scene behind him, "I'm sure that Mukuro wouldn't turn on her own henchman."

"I wouldn't put it past her," Hiei scoffed as he made his way closer and landed a good solid kick to Nero's ribcage, the body recoiling and hitting against the bookcase behind him, "Mukuro always did have a thing for blood."

"Still, it doesn't mean that she did it," Yusuke said quietly as he blew some of Sahara's long hair from his face.

"Would you three come look at this?" Kurama said quietly from behind them. He pointed to a small, wooden chair, covered in dried blood with four sets of beaten up chains lying next to it. Kuwabara shuddered again, as he watched Kurama lean down and sniff the blood that was dried on one of the chains. "This is Sahara's blood." He whispered quietly, eyeing the still sleeping girl on Yusuke's back.

"And here's a dagger that absolutely reeks of that girl's blood." Hiei hissed as he tossed the sharp object towards Kuwabara who panicked, seeing the sharp object flying towards him.

"What do you think happened here?" Kuwabara asked, catching the blade by it's handle and showing it to Kurama.

"Idiot," Hiei hissed under his breath, apparently frustrated with the idiocy of his teammate. "Isn't it obvious that this is where they were torturing here?"

"Yes," Kurama said softly, as if not paying attention to the arguments going on around him. He lifted one of the broken shackles to his line of sight, admiring the way that the break was lined smooth, almost as if it had been heated to the point of fracture. "Just look at these shackles, she must have used a lot of energy to get out of them."

"So what does this mean?" Kuwabara asked as he too picked up a shackle, running his rough finger over the smooth edge of the break.

"This was obviously the work of Scylla." Hiei said quietly, looking back over to the mangled body of Nero, "Only she could have caused the chains to split like that and leave him in that condition."

"The torture must have been absolutely unbearable for her if she actually allowed Scylla to come out." Kuwabara said as he moved closer to the girl on Yusuke's back, pushing some of her hair away from her face.

"You fool," Hiei hissed again, making his way closer to the largest detective, "Of course it was bad. That is why it's called torture."

"Okay, so we know it was bad," Yusuke said quickly, stepping in front of his angered demon friend, hoping to prevent another argument, "What I don't get is why they were torturing her in the first place."

"That's a good question, Yusuke," Kurama answered as he stood, beginning to once again examine the room around them, "For now let's see what we can find out in here."

The four boys paced around the room, each gazing into the many maps that lined the walls around them. Yusuke saw a small 'X' on one of the maps and moved closer to investigate. It showed the lands of the Makai, from the dense forests to the high mountains in the far north.

"Hey Kurama," Yusuke called across the room to the kitsune, who was examining every book cover for any sort of clue, "Could you come here for a second?" The kitsune nodded and quickly made his way over to the team leader, "What do you make of this map?"

"It's a map of demon world." Kurama confirmed Yusuke's assumption as he leaned in to examine it closer, lifting a small lantern from the wooden desk beside him and holding it up, "But I don't know what this X at the top is for. " He said as he pulled the coordinates Koenma's team had gotten for them from his pocket to compare them. "That is where we are now."

"That my dear Youko," Murkuo's voice called from the shadows, "Is the sight of a trilithon, a site that is supposed to hold power unimaginable, if one knows the secret to unlocking it." She noticed the confused looks on the detectives faces and chuckled slightly, "It is very reminiscent of that idiocy Stonehenge in the Nigenkai, and while the power of that ancient trilithon has long since been taken, this one is still trapped." 

Hiei, not waiting for her to make her move, drew his katana and flew at her, ready to strike her down for all the things she had done to Sahara. He brought his katana down on her, only to come to a violent halt, seeing Mukuro's undamaged hand holding his katana firmly in place. With a small outlet of her energy, he was forced back, taking a defensive stance in front of his friends."

"What is the secret to unlocking it's power?" Kurama asked as he and Kuwabara also summoned their weapons and took a stance in front of Yusuke, hoping to protect Sahara and their leader from the demon before them.

Mukuro chuckled slightly and pointed toward the sleeping Sahara, "Why your little princess of course!" She cackled again, her mechanical eye whirring around in it's socket, "Or rather, the artifact of which she contains."

"What are you talking about?" Yusuke hissed as he backed further away from Mukuro, making sure to keep a firm grip on Sahara's legs as they all anxiously awaited the Demon Queen's attack.

"The Diamente Curativo de la Diosa," She said chuckling again, "try to keep up you pathetic excuse for a spirit detective." She spat, startling the spirit detective slightly, making her cackle once more.

"But she doesn't have it," Kuwabara argued with Mukuro, stealing a glance back at the still sleeping Sahara, hoping that she would wake soon, "We would have seen it if she did."

"The fool has a point, Mukuro," Hiei spoke lowly, his red eyes narrowed into a deep glare that stayed set on the demoness the entire time he spoke, "That fool Koenma has had me prod her mind many times. Nothing turned up."

"Nothing that she remembered," Mukuro said as she stepped toward them, which made the three boys instantly go on the attack. She pushed them away with an energy shield, "Perhaps that little wench Kagami, erased her mind in order to protect her."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Yusuke spat, backing Sahara's back against the wall, making sure that Mukuro couldn't sneak up from behind and snatch her.

"Simple, we've all been searching for the jewel on the outside of her body," She smirked as she began walking once more in the direction of Sahara and Yusuke, "What if it was trapped within?"

Yusuke could do nothing but watch as his closest friends threw themselves at Mukuro, hoping to protect the still sleeping Sahara. "Please, Sahara, you have to wake up." Yusuke whispered to the girl on his back as he turned his gaze to the fight once more.

Hiei used his superhuman speed to distract Mukuro, hoping that she would be distracted, giving the other two a chance to land a few deadly hits. However, it seemed that no matter how fast the three boys fought, Mukruo was always there ready for some sort of counter attack. Even when Kurama attempted one of his famous self-concocted plans, there was no hope as Mukuro blocked it and easily countered with an attack of her own, causing the kitsune to fly backwards into Kuwabara.

"You know, it's really sad how all of you defend her," Mukuro chuckled and was instantly standing in front of Yusuke, who instantly tightened his grip on Sahara, his mind set on protecting Sahara even if it meant his life, "You should just hand her over, and end this ridiculous fighting, the four of you may even leave with your lives."

It was then that Hiei took charge over the battle, flying at Mukuro once again with all the speed he had. This sudden outburst caught her off guard, allowing the fire demon to land a firm punch to her stomach before finishing with a quick kick to the face, sending blood splattering onto the ground from her nose.

"Fine, if you three want to die first," She hissed as she cleaned her nose on her sleeve, "Then so be it." She cackled as she flew towards Hiei.

Hiei managed to dodge the first few blows but as Mukuro increased her speed Hiei began to suffer massive hits. When she was at top speed, he was completely helpless and could do nothing but watch as her fist pummeled multiple points on his body. Kurama and Kuwabara made their way towards Hiei in an attempt to help their comrade, but Mukuro was to fast and easily stopped them by manipulating her energy to create a shield. She smirked at the now severely beaten Hiei and sent a blast hurtling in the direction of Yusuke, who manage to escape just in time.

It was then that Mukuro saw her chance. She smirked viciously as she removed Hiei's katana from his sheath and drove the metal deep into his stomach, forcing it threw the other side of his torso and into the wall, pinning him there. She relished in the feel of his steamy blood spilling out onto her hands, lifting her index finger to her mouth for a taste. The usually stoic Hiei howled in pain as she twisted the metal object within him, making sure the bind held fast.

"HIEI!" Yusuke cried from the other side of the room, as he watched the fire demon struggle against the metal object, pulling as hard his could on the hilt, hoping to free himself.

"Don't worry about your little friend Yusuke," Mukuro said quietly as she leaned down a placed a rough kiss on Hiei's lips, "I'm not through with this one just yet, I've just pinned him here so he can't interfere again."

It was then that she turned her sights to Kurama and Kuwabara. She smirked when Kurama attacked with his rose whip, which she was able to send back at him with a simple energy trick. She watched as the tightened coils of his prized whip wrapped tighter and tighter around him, causing multiple cuts to appear. When it finished it's coil, Mukuro pulled on the end causing the whip to tighten around it's own master. Kurama howled in pain as blood shot for his body in every direction, staining the stone floor around him a murky crimson color. It was then that Mukuro spun Kurama back around, ripping every thorn from his skin as he spun. Finally She finished off with a hard kick to the kitsune's face, sending him flying into the wall beside Hiei. With a simple snap of her fingers, Kurama had been trapped there, her energy cuffs assuring her he wasn't going anywhere.

"KURAMA!" Kuwabara shouted as he made his way over to his friend and prepared his spirit sword, hoping to cut his friend free. This was when Mukuro used one of her more powerful kicks, landing it at the base of his neck, stunning the detective, sending him to the ground. Then, with a swift kick, she sent him flying into the wall where a new se of chains waited to capture his wrists, effectively holding him there.

"You see detective," she whispered to Yusuke, as she replaced a misplace piece of her fiery mane, "I always get what I want. And what I want is that little girl," she started her walk towards him once more, causing the other three detectives to struggle even more desperately against their binds, "So if you would just hand her over, you and your little friends could go back to your busy little lives."

"You'll have to take her from me you cold hearted bitch" Yusuke spat at her as he tightened his grip on Sahara's legs, his eyes darting around the room, looking for the nearest available exit as he prepared to run from the room.

"Fine," She sighed, "If that's the way you want it." She smirked as she disappeared and easily took Sahara from Yusuke's back. However, the detective clung to Sahara's legs as Mukuro continued to pull her away from him. "You know, she won't need legs where she's going, I could just cut them off." She joked but Yusuke never faltered, he continued to hang onto the Sahara's limp legs, the strength of his grip causing dark red marks to appear on the princess's fair skin.

Mukuro sighed and massaged her temples with her free hand, "Why must you be so stubborn." She asked as she landed a well placed kick to Yusuke's temple. She chuckled at the detectives determined nature, and enjoying the feel of his face against her boot, she kicked him again. She laughed louder as she began to kick harder and harder, faster and faster, enjoying the sight of the great spirit detective, Yusuke Urameshi, being pummeled by her boot and unable to do anything about it.

Yusuke's chocolate eyes gazed up into her one blue one as she beat his face relentlessly, the treads of her boot tearing against the flesh of his face. He tasted more and more blood as she continued her assault but did not release Sahara, knowing that if he did her life would end. Mukuro soon grew bored with her new game, and used a great blast of energy to send Yusuke flying into the wall beside Hiei. "Now then, to make sure that you don't interfere again." She chuckled as she summoned chains matching Kurama's and Kuwabara's to restrain both Yusuke and Hiei.

She smirked at the four bloodied me before her, relishing the looks of absolute hatred that seemed to radiate from each of them. She then looked down to the sleeping girl who lay in her arms. 'Pitiful fool,' she thought to herself as she stroked Sahara's soft face, 'Your life will end soon enough, and your debt to me will finally be paid.' Her smirk faded as she leaned down and placed a kiss on Sahara's forehead, causing Kuwabara to struggle more violently against his chains, the sounds of the metal hitting the stone wall echoing throughout the room.

"Take your hands off her!" Kuwabara roared down at the red head before them. She smirked up at the obviously angered detective, stoking Sahara's hair back out of her face before making her way to her desk, pushing everything from it and lying the still sleeping Sahara on top.

"What are you going to do to her?" Kurama asked warily, watching as Mukuro ripped open the front of Sahara's shirt, afraid of watching the scene that was sure to play out before him.

"I'm going to take that which should have been mine so long ago." Mukuro hissed as she lay bother of her hands over the middle of Sahara's chest, desperately searching for her faint heartbeat, "The Diamente Curative de la Diosa should have been mine!" She roared as she began to focus all of her energy into her hands, which began to flicker with a light green aura.

"What are you talking about?" Kuwabara roared angrily towards Mukuro as he began to once again struggle against the spirit cuffs, feeling them draining his energy further, "The Diamente only belongs to the true heir of the Toki!"

"Fool, I am the true heir," she growled, causing the four boys to stop their struggle for a moment, confused at what she had said, "This brat was simply a pure bred heir, and they chose her father and this little bitch over me. But no more, I will claim the power that should have been mine!"

Their breath became visible to them as the entire room instantly grew cold. The uncovered Sahara began to shudder at the sudden temperature shift, causing a smirk to once again drift across Mukuro's lips. Mukuro lifted her hands to the sky, watching them glow a light green before placing them once more on Sahara's chest, hearing the boys struggling against their binds once more.

They watched as the moisture that rose from Sahara's mouth became more and more frequent as a sheen of cold sweat formed on her brow. Suddenly, Sahara's amber eye shot open, and her lips parted, allowing a blood curdling wail to emit from the Princess's tiny form. Her breaths became more and more ragged as Mukuro forced more energy into her body, sweat now pouring from every inch of her body. Sahara's wailed again, this time with enough force to make the entire room shake earning a small smirk from Mukuro.

"You bitch!" Yusuke screamed out, his chocolate eyes beginning to glow a faint blue with the spirit energy that was beginning to build within him, "Stop this torture now!" He hissed as his mazoku blood tried it's best to take over him.

"Fool, there is no way to stop it once it has begun!" She shouted as she looked down on the injured girl who lay before her, thrashing against the feel of her fingertips. She chuckled as she watch Sahara's bright eyes becoming more and more dull with each passing moment, her skin becoming a dim, almost grew color as she continued the ritual. She lurched forward and coughed a bit of blood onto Mukuro, before flopping back on to the table, becoming completely still once more. Mukuro's smirk widened as a small green orb floated from the center of the girl's chest. Without a second glance at the restrained detectives, she seized the orb and dashed from the room, leaving the girl behind.

The chains were instantly released as she left the room, as the three boys instantly moved to remove the katana that was lodged within their teammates abdomen. As soon as Hiei was free, they all moved as quickly as they could to see Sahara. However, upon arriving at her bedside, their spirits fell even more quickly, as their blood boiled, wanted revenge for what she had done to their friend. 

Sahara's eyes, once noted for their abnormal amber color and exceptional beauty were glued open, with an expression of absolute torment upon them, a thick grey film hiding the golden irises from the world. Her pale, iridescent skin had become translucent, with a grey coloring to it. Her beautiful violet hair was dull, completely frazzled and wrapped around her body, the luster and brilliance all gone from it. Kurama leaned in and listened for any signs of breathing as he placed two fingers to her neck, praying silently that he would find a pulse.

"She's dead," Kurama said, shaking his head as his shoulders began to shake violently before he ripped his vision from the scene, allowing a few tears to slide down his cheek. "There is no pulse at all." He choked out, losing his composure for the first time in front of his comrades as he leaned against the wall, hoping the stone surface could offer him a bit of support when his legs buckled beneath him.

"No," Kuwabara whispered as he doubled checked for a pulse. When he found none, he sank to the ground and allowed his grief to take over, his eyes completely filled with tears that began to soak the ground beneath him. His thoughts drifted over the many times Sahara had told him how ridiculously loud he was. This thought made him cry harder as his body became wracked with sobs, he just wanted her to tell him once more how loud he was. He tilted his head back and let out a loud wail, shaking the very room around him as more tears fell from his eyes as he sank back to the floor, his head spinning.

Yusuke looked over the body once more and began to assault the ground beneath him, "DAMMIT! WHY COULDN'T I HAVE PROTECTED HER!" He cried out as he struck the ground with his fist, causing severe cracks to form in the stone floor as he pounded his fists into it repeatedly, causing small crimson stains to form on the floor beneath him as he continued his assault. He kept glancing back at her corpse, hoping that this was just a bad joke and that she was going to sit up any moment and say 'Gotcha': but he knew it wasn't coming. Kurama was right, her energy signal was completely gone.

Hiei, was the most quiet of the bunch. He walked over and simply stared down at the motionless body of the young girl the four of them had given so much to protect. And now there she was, laying in front of him dead. He used his bandaged right arm to smooth out her hair around her face, hoping that would make her look more like herself. It almost saddened him to think that a creature that held so much life before was now so still and quiet. The memory of their encounter in her dream world played out before his very eyes and he felt a weird pressure form in his chest. He didn't know what this was he was feeling, but he was positive he didn't like it. 'You'll pay for this Mukuro' he told her mentally as he turned his eyes from her body, unable to look upon her anymore. 


	31. Chapter 30: Final

Kuwabara's sobs continued to echo throughout the room as the four boys continued to let out their grief, until an ominous flash of lightning illuminated the entire room. The four boys all knew it was the sign that Mukuro was finally strong enough to evoke the powers of the trilithon and would soon end their lives as suddenly as she had Sahara's. This caused the memories to drift back to the still motionless girl who lay quietly on the table. Kurama moved over to the still sobbing Kuwabara, placing a hand on his shoulder, doing the best he could to soothe his seemingly inconsolable teammate.

Another flash of bright lightning sent Kuwabara into a loud fit, "It's not fair!" He screamed, allowing more tears to pour from his eyes, staining the ground beneath him, "She was just our age, why did she have to die now?"

"I don't know, Kuwabara," Kurama choked out himself, jade eyes filling to the brim with tears once more, allowing a few of them to slide down his cheeks. He stood from his partner's side and made his way over to the girl. He felt a deep weight pressing against his chest as he used his index finger to close her still open amber eye, a few of his tears spilling onto her face. 

"That's it," Yusuke hissed as he pushed himself off the ground, his hands dripping blood from many of his self-inflicted injuries, staining the side of his sweatpants a deep crimson, "Mukuro is dead. I'll kill her myself." He whispered to the team as he allowed his energy to once again enter his entire body, causing wisps of his neon blue aura to spread out around his body.

"Yusuke," Hiei spoke quietly turning the detectives chocolate brown gaze to him. Yusuke couldn't help but smirk seeing his friend struggle to keep control of his Darkness Flame technique. Hiei ripped the bindings away from his arm, finally allowing the flame to enter into it, causing his arm to be engulfed in the black burning flame of legend. "You are not going out there without me." He hissed as he punched the bookcase nearest him, splintering it into a fine dust, "I want to make sure this is done correctly."

"Same with us," Kurama said softly, wiping the tears from his eyes before pulling Kuwabara up onto his feet, stabling him. "Sahara would never forgive us….if we let Mukuro get away with it."

"Actually she would never forgive you if the four of you went out and got yourselves killed." A soft voice called from behind the table, instantly causing the four boys to go silent once more. They turned around slowly, seeing her body stir slightly, and watched in shock and disbelief as their apparently dead teammate sat straight up on the table, running her hand through her frazzled hair before pulling it back away from her face.

As soon as she had her hair up, Yusuke and Kuwabara latched onto her, smothering the girl with tight hugs, and kisses on the top of the forehead. When they released her, she draped her legs over the side of the table, attempting to stretch them out before she stood, her weakened legs threatening to give under her weight. It was then Kurama's turn to swallow her small frame in an overpowering hug, causing tears to form in her eyes as he stroked her back. 

"DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Kuwabara lecturing the young girl in front of him before wiping some of his drying tears from earlier on his sleeve. "You scared us half to death," He whispered, wrapping her small frame once more in a bone cracking hug, making more tears form in her eyes.

"We thought you were truly dead," Kurama choked out as he tried his best to steady his breathing once more, placing a hand on her shoulder, "For once, I actually feel like punching you in the face." Kurama said softly, chuckling at the looks he earned from his teammates after that comment. "Well, you have to admit, that was a pretty cruel joke you played on us."

"But how are you still alive?" Yusuke asked, turning his gaze from Kurama back to Sahara. He began circling her, trying to find some explanation of the so called miracle of her being alive. "I mean, I'm not complaining. But Kurama checked for a pulse and said there was none." He said after finishing his circle, staring at the girl who kept her face from his view, "Hell, Kuwabara even checked behind him."

"Well, if you fools would stop talking for a bit and take a better look at the girl, it may make a little more sense." Hiei spat, motioning towards the girl. The three detectives stared at her for a moment, each of them confused as to what Hiei was talking about. It was only after Hiei made his way over and forced her face up to them that they finally understood. The one eye that was exposed to the world was no longer the bright golden color that they had become accustomed to. It had been replaced with a deep shade of green that was full of tears causing the boys spirits to sink once more as she turned her gaze back to the floor, unable to look at them any longer.

"Scylla?" Kurama asked softly as he placed an index finger under her chin and gently pushed her face back up, "Why are you controlling Sahara's body?" He asked quietly, his gaze boring into her one visible eye. Scylla looked at the boys for a moment before sinking to the ground, sobs causing her body to shake violently.

"Sahara," Scylla choked, tears flowing freely from her eye as she spoke, "Sahara no longer inhabits this body." She looked down at the floor once more, wrapping her arms tightly around her as if trying to soothe herself with a hug. Tears began to flow more rapidly from her both her eyes now, causing a river of her crimson blood to pour out from under the bandages on her right eye.

"But," Yusuke started, his eyes brimming with tears seeing Scylla so shaken by this event, almost refusing to believe that she was telling the truth. "How are you using her body if she no longer inhabits it?" He asked, moving in closer to the girl, placing a hand on her still shaking shoulder.

"I have to agree with Yusuke, Scylla," Kurama said as he moved next to her, lifting her up to sit on the table, hoping to get an assessment of her wounds. "Surely there is still some small piece of Sahara living inside of you, else you would not have her blood flowing throughout your body now," He smiled as he moved to lift the crude bandaged that covered her eye.

"This body is dead," She snapped as she smacked his hands away from the bandaged eye before pressing her fingers hard into her neck, as if she was checking for her own pulse. "I am still alive in spirit, but Sahara and her body are dead now." She said quietly as she removed her hand from her neck, seeing the disbelieving looks her teammates were giving her. "Look, believe me or not, I only have a short time to control this body before both of us move on into the afterlife."

"That's impossible," Kuwabara hissed as he turned away from her, "I refuse to believe that Sahara is dead while you are still here, walking around in her skin." He said in a hushed tone as he stalked off towards the opposite side of the room, mumbling profanities as he went.

She quickly flipped herself over the group of boys, landing just in front of Kuwabara, her bright green eye gazing up into his beady ones. "Check for yourself if you don't believe me." She said as she forcefully grabbed his hand, placing two of his fingers to her neck and waiting for his response. It wasn't long before his expression changed from anger to shock as he ripped his hand away from her neck and stepped away from her, his eyes threatening to fill with tears once more.

"That diamond was the only thing that kept Sahara alive during our torture. The small amount of energy it gave off was just enough to keep her fragile heart beating and keep her breathing and functioning as a normal person would." Scylla said softly, placing a hand over her chest, praying silently that she was wrong, "Without it, she died from the injuries that we have sustained over the past few days."

"What injuries?' Yusuke asked as he stepped closer to her, examining every feature, his eyes narrowing at the cuts that traced along her lips and the few bruises that had formed since the fight with her copy. "You only have a few minor injuries from what I can see. Sahara would have easily survived that." He chuckled as he looked around at the stoic faces of his teammates, "I mean, come on, we've given her worse injuries than that!"

"But Yusuke," Kurama said quietly as he gazed down at the girl on the table, "It's not about the injuries that we can see, but what she was hiding from us." He spoke gently as he moved once more to take the bandaged from her eye. A low growl emitted from her throat as she caught his hand in mid-air, forcing it back at him.

"Show us." Hiei whispered forcefully to Scylla, immediately appearing behind her. Before she could react to his quick movements he had grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled it back roughly, making her entire body tense from the pain it caused. She lifted her hands in defeat and Hiei released her, allowing her to untied the bandaged that had concealed her mutilated eye and allowed the tattered piece of cloth to fall to the ground.

The skin around her eyeball was terribly swollen, closing off the gaping hole that was her open eye socket almost completely. There was just enough room for the optic nerve to peek through, which hung limply from the socket, her misplaced eyeball at the end of it. The eyeball itself looked as if it had become dislodged when all the muscles around it were cut away from it. It simply hung there, right at the corner of her mouth, blood still pouring onto it from her freely bleeding socket.

She grinned at the grimaced faces of the boys as she ran her fingers over the bleeding gashes that surround her eye sockets. "Don't worry, she earned this injury." Scylla said with a bit of a chuckle, causing confused looks to cross each boys face, "Sahara got these for cutting her eyes at Nero when he commanded her to do something." She chuckled louder, turning to face Hiei, "I'm guessing that she learned that little trick from you."

"Why do you say that?" Hiei hissed, apparently not amused at her attempt to cheer the gang up as he stared at her mangled eye. 

"You are the one that always glares at people, are you not?" She asked as she replaced the covering, hiding the injury from the world once more. "Besides, Sahara would have never done that before she met the four of you. It just wasn't in her nature." She quickly tied it in a tight not at the base of her skull and covered it with her long ponytail. "Now, I must ask that you four leave this place." She said quietly as she motioned for them to go out the door. 

"Show us the other injury," Hiei growled as he grabbed the neck of her cloak, halting her in her tracks. "I'm no fool, I've seen how you favor that arm." He said motioning to it. She sighed, realizing that she had been found out and removed the cloak as she had been told, exposing her most gruesome injury to the boys.

There was her dominant arm, hanging limply at her side in a mangled heap of her dried blood. The exposed muscled tissue completely ripped apart from where the dagger had torn into the same spot again and again. She hissed, feeling the cold air stinging at her still open wounds, causing more of her stagnate blood to flow from her body. More of the flesh peeled back away from the bone as she forced the injured arm into their view with her left hand. The sickening ripping noise that her exposed muscles made as she forced them to move was enough to make Kuwabara turn his head from the sight and vomited everything he had eaten in the last day onto the floor behind the group.

"Why would Sahara keep these things from us?" Yusuke asked as he patted his sickened friends back, his eyes unable to leave the sight of Sahara's mangled arm that was still in front of him.

"She never has been one to ask for help," Scylla chuckled as she lifted the cloak from the floor and wrapped it back around her, hoping to prevent Kuwabara from suffering any further. "You four should know that, even where she was a child she didn't allow Kagami to help her. That's why she was infused with the stone in the first place." Scylla said softly, placing her hand over her nonexistent heartbeat once more.

"What are you talking about?" Kurama asked as he helped Kuwabara back to his feet once she had her arm completely hidden from sight, "Why would Kagami infuse the stone within Sahara's body?"

"I was when Sahara was around seventeen, right after the attack on her kingdom," Scylla said softly as she pulled a thin silver chain from with in her shirt, showing the ring casing which had once held the Diamente, "Sahara had just used the Diamente to heal Kagami after they had been ambushed. Being that Kagami was Sahara's only guardian at that time, she knew exactly what invoking the stones power would mean."

"That demons from all over the Makai would be after her," Yusuke said softly, finishing her sentence and earning a smirk from Scylla.

"Exactly, Yusuke, and Kagami didn't want Sahara to be in any more danger." Scylla chuckled, recounting the night as if it had just happened yesterday, "So one night, while Sahara was asleep, Kagami invoked some of the ancient magic she had learned in her training as a priestess and fused the Diamente into Sahara's spirit. Hoping that it would keep anyone from ever finding it." Scylla paused for a moment, rolling the ring casing around her fingers, "Kagami hoped that the extra strength would help Sahara fend off more enemies, however that little plan backfired, just a bit." Scylla laughed harder now, a broad smile crossing her face.

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked, confused by the statement that she had made as well as her sudden outburst.

"Well, this power boost allowed me to regain some of the strength I had lost since Kagami had trapped me inside our mind years before," Scylla laughed once more, "Kagami had one hell of a time containing me from then on!" 

"But something still doesn't make sense to me,' Kurama said quietly, taking a seat beside the still laughing girl, "Why are you being allowed to stay in this world? You should have been escorted away from here by now."

"He's right!" Yusuke said as he made his way over and sat on her opposite side, "Any normal person would have been taken to the Rekai by now, so why are you being allowed to stay on?" The detective, very pleased with his deduction of the situation, crossed his arms a smug look appearing on his face.

"I have a mission to complete if you don't remember," She said quietly as she hopped off the table and moved over to the only window in the room, trying to get a view of Mukuro through all of the grime. "My job is to restore order to this world, and that means destroying the one thing that is causing such chaos." She explained as she used her hand to clear away some of the accumulated dirt from the window pane, staring down at Mukuro's figure in the middle of the trilithon, still clutching the glowing Diamente in her hands.

"So what is it that you have to do?" Kurama asked as he and the rest of the team crowded around the single window, trying to get a better view of what was going on outside, hoping that Scylla could shed a little light on the situation.

"It's actually very simple," Scylla spoke calmly as she squeezed past them, walking back into the middle of the room, "I must destroy the Diamente as well as Mukuro. That is the only way the worlds will brought back into order once more."

"I thought you wanted to destroy all of the worlds because of the evil of man," Kuwabara said quickly, earning harsh glares from his other three teammates. "I mean…uhh…" He stuttered out, trying think of a better excuse while mentally cursing himself for being so dense.

Scylla laughed heartily at his feeble attempt to cover his apparent slip up, "Do not worry, my friends, I have no intention of destroying the worlds during this visit." She laughed again when she saw the four boys stare at her once more, eyes widened with confusion at her words. "Something has helped me to change my mind in this short time and see that not everyone in the world is evil."

Scylla laughed at his feeble attempt to hide his slip up, "Do not worry, my friends, I have no intention of destroying the world on this visit." She laughed again when she saw the confused looks that overtook their faces, "Something has helped me to change my mind and see that not everyone in the world is evil."

"And that would be?" Yusuke asked, obviously oblivious to what Scylla was implying, earning a heavy sigh from the girl.

"The four of you did," she said as she massaged her temples at his ignorance, "You four have proven to me that the worlds are not completely evil and that there are those who are willing to defend it to the very end." She sighed as she turned to face them, a few stray tears slid down her face once more, "That's why I cannot allow you to stay here while I am destroying Mukuro. It is too dangerous," She paused for a brief moment, feeling the tears threatening to well up in her eyes once again, "and besides Sahara would never forgive me if I did."

She grinned as the four boys nodded and made their way out of the large wooden doors, "Hiei, wait just a moment." She called to the fire demon, making him stop dead in his tracks and turn to face her. "Sahara, would have wanted you to have this." She removed the silver chain from her neck and placed it around his. Before he could respond she captured his lips in a very soft kiss. "I'm sure she would have wanted you to have that too."

A very faint blush crept across Hiei's face as he clipped the chain around his own neck. He nodded to her and slipped quietly from the room, leaving Scylla to her thoughts. 'Rest assured my friends, She will pay for what she has done.' Scylla moved quickly out of the window and through the terrible storm, towards the trilithon where Mukuro stood. She placed her hand on her chest, thinking back to her half that no longer inhabited their body. 'Sahara, I promise, your death will be avenged.' She whispered in her mind, hoping that somewhere, her other side could hear her.

Mukuro laughed maniacally as she lifted her hand to the sky, the Diamente shining a bright green within her clasped hand. Green lightning filled the sky causing her to laugh louder. She moved towards the stone that had been set in the middle, but before she could place her body in the correct position on it, a certain force plowed her away from it, causing her to sail into one of the great stone pillars, making it rock back and forth on it's base.

She cut her eyes to her attacker, "I was wondering just when you would show up Scylla," She chuckled as she pushed herself from the ground dusting her tattered clothes, "Come to see the final step in me gaining my ultimate power?"

"No," Scylla said coldly as she felt the spray of the ocean on her face from the rocks below, "I've come to warn you Mukuro." Scylla hissed, manipulating some of her energy into her left hand, making it glow a bright green.

"Warn me," She chuckled before turning her eyes to the ocean below, as she watched some of the green lightning strike it, causing it to illuminating the surrounding waters a vivid aqua before dying down once more. "Warn me of what?"

"That stone you hold in your hand," she said as she moved closer to Mukuro, hoping to take it from her, "Does not belong to you, it belongs to the Toki family." She said as she tried to snatch the stone but was met by a sharp kick to the face, causing her to sail backwards a bit before she recovered in a crouching position, "If you invoke it's powers, death will be your only punishment." She said quietly, wiping the blood from the side of her lip.

"You expect me to believe that load of shit?" She laughed again and held the stone high in the air, flaunting the fact that the stone still rested in her hands instead of Scylla's. With one last laugh she attacked Scylla with a full burst of energy. However, even with all of Scylla's energy, she was no match for Mukuro's superior speed and fully capable body. Mukuro landed a quick kick to her face, catching her by the hair and holding her up in front of her.

"No wonder your weaker half died" Mukuro mocked with a few fast punches to her gut, causing some residual blood to fly from Scylla's mouth. Mukuro smirked feeling the blood hit her face before grabbing Scylla's mangled arm and tossing her into a stone on the far end of the trilithon. She turned on her heel and began making her way back to the sacred stone in the middle.

Scylla grinned and caught the side of Mukuro's head with a large rock that she had grabbed earlier, causing the demon queen to bleed profusely from a large gash. Then she summoned the last bit of her energy causing her body to glow a vivid green and unleashed it onto Mukuro, who threw up her hands in defense. Scylla smirked as she saw the defending Mukuro slide back into one of the pillars from the force of the blast.

"Nice try Scylla," Mukuro chuckled as the dust from around her disappeared showing her just how unharmed her body was, "But you forgot one of the powers of this stone. It has to power to absorb any attack." She grinned as she watched Scylla sink to her knees, and a few tears slip out of her eyes. "To bad really, I was hoping for much more of a challenge out of you." She couldn't believe that she was actually going to let Mukuro win. She struggled, trying to push herself off the ground, her mind slipping constantly in and out of consciousness.

"Mukuro," Scylla's voice now came at a raspy and uneven tone, as she struggled with keeping herself conscious, praying that some unseen force would stop this evil from becoming reality, "I must warn you, if you invoke the stone's powers."

"Save it you worthless bitch," Mukuro chuckled as she placed another kick to Scylla's ribs before making her way once again to the sacred stone. "I will have this power that was destined to be mine."

Scylla watched in horror from her prone position as Mukuro made her way over to the stone, laying herself down on it. Mukuro grinned once more as she lifted the Diamente so that Scylla could see it before placing it on her just, just over where her heart would be. The world around them became silent, the stone's bright green aura pulsing around Mukuro's entire being, engulfing her figure in the bright light.

Then, a lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking Mukuro where the stone had lain. Scylla looked on until the power that the stone was emitting became to great and flung her off the side of the cliff. She closed her eyes tightly, hanging onto to the cliff with her one good arm as she waited for the blinding light to subside. She saw the world beginning to grow dark once more as the power of the stone began to diminish. She pulled herself up with hand and crawled her way over to where Mukuro's body had once lay. Her lips curved into a deep smirk as she reached down and picked up the still brightly glowing Diamente.

"I told her, the stone wouldn't accept her as it's master," Her smirk grew into a full blown smile as she lifted the stone to her ear, hearing Mukuro's tortured soul crying out for anyone to save her. "But I had so hoped to feel that bitch's blood between my hands." She chuckled as she walked over to the edge of the cliff, watching the storm cloud's dissipate before her very eyes, allowing the dawning sun to burst through in full force, lighting the scenery around Scylla once more.

"Everything will be as it should be now." She smiled even wider as she lifted the stone to the heavens before crushing it in her petite hands, leaving nothing but a small green powder left there. Scylla watched the powder drift out of her hand and away on the wind, and down into the ocean.

Scylla closed her eyes tightly, feeling her body slipping back into that deep abyss that she had become so accustomed to over the years. "Here is my final payment to you, the last of my strength." She whispered to the sky, feeling one last tear fall from her eye before she felt the weight of the body she had been using finally come to her, and she plummeted into the sea below, her body smashing against the rocks.

A few days later

"So Koenma, any news on Sahara's body?" a very red faced Yusuke asked as he and his team walked into Koenma's office. The team had organized a search party as soon as they had made it back, frantically combing every square inch of Mukuro's territory, searching for the missing girl.

"I'm afraid not boys," Koenma said, rubbing his bloodshot eyes, "But I do want you to sit down." Koenma spoke softly, not sure of how he was going to break the recent news to his team.

"Koenma, if you are wanting us to start planning her wake," Kuwabara started, tears beginning to form in his eyes once more, "You can forget it. Until I see a body, I'm going to think she is still alive."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you four about," Koenma started as he rose from his seat and made his way over to the window, not able to look at his team directly, "Sahara's spirit passed through my father's chambers this morning. I saw her with my own eyes." His words by this point had become so low they were almost inaudible, but the team instantly knew what he had said.

"No." Yusuke whispered to himself as he clutched his pants legs tightly in between his fists. "I don't believe you." Tears welled in his eyes, threatening to spill over onto his cheeks as they had so many times in the past few days.

"Yusuke," Koenma said turning to the team leader, tying to hold his composure while in front of his team, "You said yourself that you all watched her body die before she was possessed by Scylla," he said as he made his way back to his team, and leaned on his large wooden desk. The prince stopped again, tying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes at any moment. "It was only a matter of time before Scylla's energy gave out as well and she had to make her way to the Rekai."

"Sahara," Kurama whispered as he wiped some tears on a tissue that he had gotten from the box on Koenma's desk. He choked back a sob and turned his eyes away from the group. Seeing Kurama break down for the first time since he had known him was enough to make Koenma's last bit of resolve falter as he allowed his tears to spill from his eyes freely.

"You four are pathetic." Hiei's voice rang out over the sobs of his teammates causing them all to turn around with absolute murder in their eyes. He chuckled at their swollen faces, they did after all look utterly ridiculous in his mind, "Just what would the girl say if she could see you now?"

"Shut up Hiei!" Kuwabara shouted as he hoisted the smallest of the group up by his collar so that he could see him face to face, "It's not like you cared for her when she was alive, why would you care what she thought now that she is dead?"

"She isn't dead." Hiei said flatly, causing the other fours eyes to focus even more intently on him, "At least I don't believe she is." He cast his eyes away from the man who held him, unable to look at his shamefully swollen face any longer.

"Hiei," Kurama started as he placed a hand Kuwabara's shoulder, hoping that the tallest detective would release him, "We must accept the fact, if she came through King Yama's chambers then that means that she is" Kurama choked again as he turned away from them.

"I'm like the detective," Hiei spat as he was placed roughly back onto the floor, "Until I see a body, I refuse to believe the girl is dead." With that he turned and made his way out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

"He's just taking this really hard," Kurama gathered enough strength to speak as he explained the situation to his teammates, "Sahara was the only woman he had any respect for after Mukuro lost her mind." He sighed and motioned out the window to Hiei's favorite tree, where the team could see the fire demon sitting in a branch, "It's just his way of dealing with this."

With Hiei

He just couldn't believe those fools took every word that stupid brat told them seriously. Sure, he had to admit, he couldn't sense the girl's presence any more but he knew she was still there, somewhere. He removed the white covering that concealed his jagan eye and allowed it to open fully. He searched every single direction for even a hint of her energy, hoping that he would prove them all wrong by finding out that she was alive.

It was only after a few minutes that he realized just what he was doing, he actually was hoping that she was out there, alive, somewhere. It shocked him to think that he had actually developed such as strong bond with someone. Never before had he felt so, attached to one single person, and though they never said very much to one another he had become very accustomed to her presence. He couldn't believe that he was admitting this to himself, but he had actually begun to miss the little nigen girl's consistent cheery attitude and the fiery way she threw herself into her training.

He rested his head against the trunk of his tree and gazed over into the window that shown into the living room of the mansion. He sighed seeing his teammates one by one file into the room. He knew what they were there for, to break the news to the girls. He watched as their faces became very downcast, and the boys allowed a few more tears to be shed over the girl before they looked into the faces of the girls.

They reacted about as well as he had expected. Keiko, who was the first to make any sort of movement, fainted, her head coming in contact with the hard floor. Botan ran for Koenma, who automatically wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to sob into his chest, while he sobbed into her hair. Then his sight fell to his sister who simply sank to her knees and allowed the tears to flow from her eyes. He watched as she became encircled by the tear gems that were created from every tear she cried and he had to turn away from this scene.

"This is pathetic," he repeated to himself as he looked up at the full moon that was brightly shining down on him. He didn't know what exactly to think of the situation or these pitiful human emotions, all he knew was that he didn't want or need them. He turned his crimson eyes once more to gaze upon his sister, he couldn't stand to see her so tortured by the death of this one girl.

"Yukina, I will find the girl," He whispered to her as he slid Sahara's ring casing onto the rope with his mother's tear gem, "That way, you won't have to cry anymore and I will be rid of this ridiculous emotion." He slid quietly out of the tree and turned his gaze away from his team, and dashed into the forest of the Rekai.

Sahara's Wake

The wake had been a lovely affair that the girls, with the help of George, had put together as quickly as they could. All of Koenma's loyal servants had come to see this grand wake that had been prepared for this young princess who had no country to call her own. The team, excluding Hiei, all stood at the far side of the room, receiving sympathies from all of the staff and the many people who had made their way their for the wake.

Most of the guests stood in the center of the room, admiring the beautifully hand painted picture of Sahara that one of Koenma's artists had rendered in a short time. She stood in the middle the picture frame, a pained look on her face as the outlines of flames danced within her amber irises. Her body was wrapped in the most elaborate kimono made with the purest of silk and a golden ornate crown adorned her head. Koenma gazed at the picture, glad that he gotten the artist to portray Sahara in that way. He knew that the pain she felt over the destruction of her kingdom, was what made her into the strong young woman she had become.

King Yama interrupted his son's deep thoughts as he made his way noisily into the room, hoping to show respect for the grieving team." I'm so sorry for you loss," he told the group of seven tired souls who stood before him, as he admired the picture of the princess in her attire, "Truly that girl will be missed."

"Thank you father," Koenma said as he bowed slightly to his father who made his way back around the large group of people and back to his office. Koenma turned his gaze to the picture of Sahara himself, "My father misses her as well." He told the others, tears automatically forming in the girl's eyes as the looked at the picture.

"Koenma." Yukina asked as she glanced around the room quickly, "Do you know where Hiei is?" she implored causing the Rekai prince to look hastily around the room, "He wouldn't want to miss this."

Kurama placed a hand on the small koorime's shoulder, "Hiei will come back when he's ready," He assured her, looking down into her deep crimson eyes that were lined with her tears, "He is dealing with this in his own way. Give him some time." The koorime gave a small smile of gratitude to the kitsune, allowing some of her tears to spill out as she watched the rest of their guests come and pay their final respects to Sahara.

Meanwhile

"Come on Grandpa!" A young girl cried out as she ran in down the shoreline of a vast beach, "Those fish aren't going to catch themselves!" She smiled grinned as she dashed even further away from the older man who was escorting her, her silver tresses flew in pigtails behind her, glinting in the sunlight.

"Lalita! Slow down!" The elderly man cried out to his granddaughter who was now much to far down the beach to hear his call, "I can't move as fast as I used to, you know!" He screamed as loud as he could as he wiped some sweat from his brow, gazing up at the bright sun, 'Of all the days I picked to go fishing…'

"GRAMPS!" His granddaughter called out to him, immediately snapping of his thoughts, "There's someone in the surf gramps!" She cried to him, her blue eyes wide with terror as she clung to the elderly man's legs, her entire body trembling at the sight she had seen just down the beach.

"Calm down child," He said as he brushed some of her stray silver tresses back into place, patting her gently on the head, "Now you show me where this person is." He said gently as he took her small hand in his.

The child nodded and began running towards the spot where she had found the body, literally dragging the much larger man behind her. She pointed to the figure as soon as it came into view and ran even faster, her little legs trembling beneath her. The surf lapped around the face up body of the girl, and she watched as her grandpa made his way over to inspect it. She shivered as she watched her grandpa lift the girl's arm and pressed to fingers to it, searching for any sign of a pulse.

"Lalita!" He said sharply, making the young girl snap to attention as she stared at the beautiful girl in her grandfather's arms, I want you to go and fetch Dr. Sabala." He said as he used his index finger to motion towards the village, "Tell him this is an emergency and that I need his expertise right away!"

"Sure thing Gramps!" The girl said loudly as she ran in the direction of her village, hoping that she could save the pretty young girl that she had found on the beach.

The elderly man sighed, watching his granddaughter run away from him. He sighed a lifted the girl from the surf, and placing her gently on the warm sand just slightly up the beach. He removed the torn cloak from around her as well as the bandage on her eye, hoping to use the spare cloth to stop the blood from flowing from her skull. He applied slight pressure to her forehead as he began to admire her features.

His breath caught in his chest as memories began to flood his mind as he admired the girl's beauty. She was a petite girl, being no more than 4' 11' in stature she was easily moved by the older gentleman. He pushed some her matted violet hair back hoping to get a better look at her pale face. Though her face was severely beaten, he could tell that she had once been a very beautiful girl. His eyes filled with tears as he lifted the girl's severely mangled body up in his strong arms, cuddling her against his chest.

"Oh my lady," he spoke softly as he brushed some more of her hair away from her severely beaten and bloodied face a few tears slipping from behind his spectacles, "What has happened to you?"


End file.
